Appearances
by Celia25
Summary: Written for OnceUponAnAdvent-2018. A town where gossip and judgment towards two people lead them to make some choices they'll regret later. A town where some things are not what they seem and where appearances matter too much. Two people in love torn apart by their parent's mistakes and reunited years later in the same town that saw their misfortune.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Thanks to the amazing BabyLawyerOQ for beta reading this story and for helping me when I had second thoughts!**

"He's back, Regina," says Leopold as he takes a sip of whiskey and stirs the liquid inside, moving the glass with a circular movement of his hand.

For some seconds the only sound in the room comes from the ice cubes inside his glass bumping into one another.

"I know, Leo, believe me, I know. I saw him this morning leaving Granny's," replies Regina as she tries taking away her eyes from him, maybe with the intention of hiding the excitement her eyes are unable to disguise.

"And how do you feel about it? …about him? …about all that happened?" Asks Leopold, trying to make her voice what he thinks he's reading from the tone of her voice and the way she avoids his gaze.

"It doesn't change anything. We both made up our minds years ago, Leo. You know it," answers Regina as she drinks from her glass of champagne.

"Uhm ...I'm not that sure. Some things have changed, dear. Your father isn't here, Locksley's mother moved on, people in town are more receptive towards you, you've built a reputation as a well-known psychologist not only in this town but also elsewhere _._ "

"Yeah, but still we haven't talked in years and we might be very different to the ones we were years ago; he lives in the other side of the world and after New Year he'll be back to his family and, well, I'm …" Regina looks at him, gestures with one of her hands towards him, and then towards her until she finally says "... _we_ are still here."

"Yes, but remember what we discussed about …" Leopold pauses, makes a movement with one of his hands mimicking Regina, and continues "... _us_. If there's anything you think I need to know, please do tell me."

"I will. Don't worry." Regina stands up to leave the room, walks the little distance to where Leopold is seated and kisses him on the forehead. She prepares herself to exit, but before walking through the door, she turns around and adds "Thank you, Leo. I ...I'm going to bed. It's been a long day."

"Good night, dear ...and think about coming with me to Boston for Christmas and New Year ...I know this time of the year is tough for you, but I need to be there."

"I'll think about it. Good night, Leo."

…

Regina can't sleep, thinking about the previous years, about what her life has become since she lost him: a facade, a cover, a fake life out of a deal she felt compelled to make as a way to resolve the public embarrassment and financial breakdown her mother's choices brought on her.

Despite the time that has passed, she recognizes she isn't over him and thinks she has done quite a good job hiding it, well, maybe not to Leopold and definitely not to Emma, but certainly, to other people.

She knows and has already accepted that maybe, she will never be over him, but understanding it and seeing him are two different things. Watching him this morning walking to his car carrying his child in one arm and a takeout bag in the other one, reminded her of what she could have had and has made her relive not only the painful circumstances of their break up but also the choices other people made that changed her life.

…..

Living her whole life in the picturesque little town of Storybrooke, Maine has its perks but also has proven to be a goddamned curse for Regina Mills.

Storybrooke is a peaceful location where most people know each other; one where the most serious offense is vandalism towards public property caused by a bunch of kids going through a difficult age without proper advice, and where people could leave their doors unlocked with no fear of someone breaking into their houses.

In this town, traffic isn't an issue, and the sound of klaxons is practically unknown. Its beautiful landscapes are an invitation for locals and tourists to enjoy outdoor activities.

However, there's no hell like a small town, they say, and this was confirmed to be true when the scandal about Regina's mother and wife to the honorable Mayor Henry Mills spread over town. The story about how Cora Mills left her husband on a Christmas Eve and ran away with someone else's husband (and not just someone else's, but Cora's best friend's husband) became the town gossip since it happened four years ago.

It has been _the_ gossip among the conservative citizens of Storybrooke, not even surpassed by the good Dr. Whale's divorce when his wife discovered him with a nurse in a compromising situation at his working place; or Emma Swan, Regina's best friend, getting pregnant at a young age by a man with a criminal record; or Ruby Lucas' life as a woman of easy virtue and little shame; or her own marriage to a man 24 years older than her that, rumor has it, prefers young men rather than women.

This episode in Regina Mills' life marked her forever. This incident subjected her to people gossiping behind her back (and some of them even right on her face) about how her mother had been capable of betraying her own husband and her dear friend Evelyn.

That event turned Regina's life upside down. Not only she had to deal, for years, with the town rumors and gazes of disapproval and judgment towards her (as if she were responsible for her mother's choices), but also with her family financial meltdown and her father's depression, one that he never was able to overcome, followed by a disease and more recently by his death. And, as if that wasn't hard enough she had to deal with her own broken heart because it happens that from all the men her heartless mother could have chosen to betray her father with, she chose the one man that not only made her family collapse, but also the one of her fiancé at the time. Yes, Cora Mills had the nerve to run away with Robert Locksley, father of her daughter's fiancé and husband of her friend Evelyn.

As she lies down in bed waiting for sleep to come, she remembers how from the moment the two families, that had been longtime friends, found out that Henry's wife had run away with Evelyn's husband, their worlds fell apart. Two families destroyed; two spouses betrayed; two parents, to a son and a daughter, gone and those that were left behind, emotionally destroyed; and for Regina, a five-year relationship with a man that would have soon became her husband ended by default. Those had been the consequences of Cora's actions.

" _How could they do this to us? Shit! I ...I can't even look at your father in the eye!" exclaimed Robin as he walked from one side to another of Regina's living room._

" _I'm in shock, Robin. My mother destroyed me ...she ...she destroyed us ...What kind of future will we have with the memory of what they did to my father and Evelyn torturing us? How long will take your mother, your sister or even you, to begin wondering when will I do to you the same that my mother did to my father? If it happens that I'm late or something goes out of schedule your first thought will be one of doubt," said Regina with tears gathered in her red eyes._

 _It was obvious she had been crying all night since she found out the note her mother left behind as the only reminder she lived once in that house. No clothes, no personal belongings, no bank savings ...she took everything with her. It seemed Cora planned this a long while ago because she didn't leave a trail of her presence in the Mills' mansion or in Henry's or her daughter's lives._

" _I would never do that, Regina, but certainly they have put us in a difficult situation. This town, these people ...they all have that look ...they stare at me with such disdain ...as if I were my father ...even my mother has that look sometimes. I can't stand their glances anymore. I feel like I'm drowning here. I ...I hate him so much Regina ...both of them ...they didn't think about us, about the consequences this would have for us …the bastard! always behaving like the perfect husband and family man, when he had been banging your mother for years ...this isn't something out of impulse, they've been planning this for some time ….they've been lying to everyone for years …shit ...how didn't any of us see this coming?"_

 _Robin talked, going back and forth with his words stopping between sentences. It was evident he was devastated by the news._

" _As a therapist, I know very well that we must not feel guilty for other people's choices, but I, myself, can't help to feel guilt, shame, sorrow, anger ...everything at the same time. I can't look at your mother and take away the thought that she sees my mother in me …I need some time to deal with this shit on my own, Robin. I hope you will understand. We can't begin a marriage with a burden like this over our shoulders. We should try to heal first, forgive them ...if we can ...and retake things whenever we are ready. And, I have to look after my father, he's destroyed, the bitch not only took his dignity away from him but also emptied the bank accounts. He has nothing left."_

" _Yeah … You're right. We can't build a future together if we don't heal first. I think it's the best, Regina. I do love you, I hope you know that but right now I need to put some distance from this town, these people, your father, my mother …"_

" _And me," finished Regina for him, "I understand it. If there's one person that can understand how you feel it's me, Robin. We both are standing in the same place."_

 _Robin looked at Regina, was about to take her hands in his, but before he could do it he saw her taking off her engagement ring and handing it to him, "Would you mind holding this for a bit longer?"_

" _I promise I'll give it back to you when we're ready again."_

 _With that, they said goodbye and Robin left Regina's house._

Regina sighs at the memories, turns to one side of her bed and hugs a pillow as she remembers how two weeks later after that, he knocked her door to tell her he would be leaving Storybrooke because he couldn't stand one more day living in this town. He told her that his sister would stay with his mother and that he already had their blessing on his choice, but that he still needed hers.

And that was the last time she saw him. She never heard of him again ...until this morning, when at a single glimpse of him, everything she thought she left behind years ago came to haunt her.

…..

Four years have passed since the day Regina and Robin said their goodbyes, and some things in Regina Mills' life have changed: her father is gone; the love of her life is married to another woman (that's what she's heard) and has a son (that, she has seen with her own eyes); she has Leopold in her life (which hasn't been such a bad thing after all) and, despite the town's disdain, she has built a reputation as a therapist and has her own private practice in association with Dr. Hopper.

However, other things remain just the same as they were when Robin left: she still isn't over him and she hasn't heard a thing about her mother or Robin's father. It's like if they have disappeared in thin air.

Her insight as a professional and years of therapy sessions had helped her take away the guilt and cope with the sorrow her mother's betrayal left on her. Thus, there's an issue therapy can't solve: forgetting him.

For years she tried to get over him and still struggles with it, with the memories of the five years she shared with him, of the life they planned, and sometimes she thinks that maybe she will never move on.

And she wonders if this impossibility of taking him away from her mind and heart is because he was ...is ...her _first love_. Oh yes, she knows he is her first love, even if he wasn't the first one because she is convinced that _first love_ isn't about if it's the first time someone falls in love, it's about the type of connection, and for her Robin was the first man with whom she felt that intensity.

She has thought about this countless times. Sometimes, in the solitude of her house; other times, after listening to a patient sharing similar struggles as those she deals on a daily basis, and has arrived at the conclusion that he has a special place in her heart because definitely, he was her first love.

Some people would think of the first love as the very first crush. The one that arises feelings still unexplored on a mind that understands very little; the kind of love that makes possible to discover new sensations with the first kiss and soft touches on a body that hasn't even finished to develop. And she knows that for her, her first crush wasn't her first love. She will always have the best memories of Daniel, her high school sweetheart, they still are friends, and even if he was the man (technically, the teen …a young man at eighteen is biologically still a teen) she gave her virginity to, she wouldn't define him as her first love. She was heartbroken when they ended their relationship, but got over him more quickly than what she would have thought. So, no, Daniel Colter wasn't her first love.

Others would say the first love is that kind of love that, ironically, might be the last one, the one that maybe isn't about passion and desire anymore, but about understanding, companionship, and commitment. That one love that makes someone want to share a common life _until death do us part_ , but she knows this is not the case, either with what she has with Leopold Blanchard. Her marriage to Leopold is different, unconventional even, and during the time she has been married to him, she has learned to love him in a way, to trust him, to seek advice in him, but she knows it's not about love, at least not about _that_ kind of love.

And, some would think of the first love like that love that leaves a mark on someone's soul and heart. A trail that will stay with them forever, regardless the moment it appears in their lives. Love so intense and strong that memories and longing could never be erased. It doesn't matter if it takes place early in life, in adulthood or a more mature stage; it's not about when it appears, it's about how deep it is. So, for her, her first love is without a doubt Robin Locksley, a man she knew since they were teens when he and his family moved to Storybrooke from London, the young man she began noticing because their families were close and her parents and his, best friends. The man that stole her heart and still, after all those years and the circumstances they've been through, has it.

Thus, that cold December morning when she spotted Robin Locksley leaving Granny's Diner after four years of not knowing anything about him, her heart skipped a beat. But when she realized he had a little boy with him, hardly older than two years old, that without any doubt was his son, all the emotions she had guarded all those years deep inside her and had only shared with Leopold, Emma and her therapist, flooded her mind, heart and soul in a fraction of a second.

She had always known that her first love, the love of her life, was not meant to be forgotten, but having to witness what her happy ending should have been stirred up the memories of those years spent with him. The remembrance of happy, playful, passionate and tender moments ...and, later of those of pain, anger, and sorrow began filling her.

#########################

Robin arrives at the Rabbit Hole not long after having tucked his son in bed. He needs some time alone, has needed it since this morning when he saw her, but having a toddler in the terrible twos is not easy and time by himself is a luxury he can't afford now that Roland is with him all the time. So, he just had to wait until bedtime for his son to be asleep to go and have some adult time, knowing that his sister has happily agreed to look after her nephew.

Returning to Storybrooke after four years of having run away (yes, now he understands what he did years ago was precisely that) has been more difficult than what he ever imagined. It's like the universe plotted some sort of twisted revenge against him for being such a coward back then, because it seems the goddamned town is cursed and frozen in time and remains very much the same as when he left, which makes his stay even more painful, since every single corner of this town reminds him of her.

Even The Rabbit Hole continues to be just as he remembered: the red sign with yellow letters and the white logo in the middle, the same distribution of the tables, the pool tables, the bar, the waiters, the music …and memories of _her_ everywhere he looks.

Robin believes he deserves the constant remembrances of the years spent with her and the sorrow each place in Storybrooke brings him as he thinks what his life with Regina Mills could have been. He has earned every tormenting memory for not gathering the courage to talk to her as soon as he heard the news about her engagement to the most powerful man in Storybrooke: Leopold Blanchard (well, actually one of the two most powerful men ...the other one, is married to his sister, Belle). He is convinced this is the way the universe is telling him he should have pulled himself together and just called her, and maybe, four years later, he will not be regretting his lack of braveness.

When he failed to call her the moment that shocking news reached him, he knew he would be doomed to live with no answers to his questions and with the uncertainty of not knowing if he had meant so little that she was about to marry another man (which in fact she did), such short time after their breakup. And that's precisely what happened because, with each passing day, it became more difficult to call her, and it was easier to pretend she never existed and to continue living his messed up life miles away from her. He had no other choice than to learn to live with those queries.

Usually, his second glass of whiskey has the power of numbing his pain (an emotion that has been with him since he realized he lost her forever); this rarely happens with the first one, but with the second one, it never fails. However, tonight it appears it isn't working because he is half his third glass of whiskey on the rocks and the pain is still unbearable.

He is well aware why he feels this way, and he thinks in the irony of this shit. During the last years he has fantasized about seeing her again (well, he had seen her because he has stalked her social media ...and from the little she posts there he has an idea of how she looks like and what she's been to after all these years), and has imagined that moment to be one of excitement, nervousness, and anticipation, even. But, nothing could prepare him for how he felt when he saw her this morning, and ironically it hadn't been anything near to what he had thought. First, it had been the astonishment, and then it had been grief, sadness, and longing, feelings that refuse to leave his mind despite the generous amount of alcohol he has already drunk.

It happened this morning, on the second day of his arrival. He was about to have breakfast at Granny's like he had done many times with her, just that this time he was with his child instead, seated at the very same table he used to share with her. He doesn't even know why he chose that table. When he realized where he was seated, it was already too late. It seems his choice was one of mere reflex, something buried in his subconscious released after entering Granny's for the first time in years.

It wasn't that long after he arrived, because he was about to order something that a toddler would eat willingly without being a complete unhealthy choice when, as he glanced through the window, he saw her walking towards her car. It seemed like she was looking for her keys inside her purse and it took her some seconds to finally find them. He smiles at the memory of her taking more time than necessary to find the keys of her apartment or car, and thinks that some things about her remain the same because she always struggled to find the stuff she needed inside her purse.

He lifts his glass in an imaginary toast and takes a generous sip of his whiskey thanking someone up there for his luck this morning, because, despite the hard time he's having in this town, at least he didn't bump into her. He knows this will happen eventually, but this morning he wouldn't have known how to act and he is sure he would have made a complete fool of himself ...more than he already had, because he had been so affected just by spotting her that, some minutes later after having arrived, he left Granny's with a takeout bag (a not so healthy one, by the way) in one hand and a moody toddler in the other.

Robin is so concentrated in his own thoughts that he doesn't realize someone sits by his side and only turns to one of his sides when he hears someone calling his name.

"Robin, mate! I can't believe you're back! What brings you here after so long?"

Robin stands up and goes to hug the man that just appeared out of nowhere as he says, "Hey man, it's nice to see you! You look exactly the same! This town is fucking cursed, people don't age here! Are you still the heartbreaker? or, did you find the lass?"

"Aye, mate, I'm now a family man. I'm married to Emma, you remember her? I'm sure you know her … er...Regina's best friend …"

"Oh, yes, how can someone forget Emma Swan! Congratulations!" replies Robin trying to pretend he didn't hear _her_ name and that he isn't affected by it.

"And, you mate? Rumor has it you came with a child but no wife or girlfriend…"

Robin doesn't even let him continue, and notoriously angry says, "Shit, man, people in this goddamn town don't change… My second day here hasn't even ended, and people are already talking about me, with whom I came and with whom I didn't! Why do they care? They pushed me away once, wasn't that enough?"

Killian is a nice man and had been one of Robin's best friends as teens and young adults, but when Robin left town, they got distant. During the four years Robin has lived abroad he never looked back, never tried to contact old friends and instead focused on making new ones and building new memories with them. The only two people in his life that linked him to Storybrooke during these past years had been his mother and sister. They had been the only ones with whom he has been in touch. The third significant person for him still living in town was lost to him, so it had been pointless to put any efforts encouraging any friendships when he had no intention of coming back.

However, now that things have changed abruptly in Robin's life and this short visit to the only family he has left, isn't merely about spending the festivities with them, but more about exploring the possibility of a permanent residency in town, he thinks it would be convenient to resume old friendships, and Killian is a suitable first step. So, Robin decides not to be harsh with someone that isn't the one to blame for his own choices.

"Sorry, man ….It's just that it's difficult to be back after so long …and not think about the way I left," says Robin after realizing Killian's look of hurt.

"Okay, mate …I'm sorry too. At least let me invite you a drink for old times."

Robin agrees on a drink, and before he notices one drink becomes two, and then it's one for the road, and after that, he's drowning in sorrow, opening up to Killian all his regrets of the past years.

Some hours later a drunk Robin arrives at his mother's house.

He had a nice time with Killian, maybe the best in years. He laughed his ass off remembering silly anecdotes; he cried with the memories of better times spent in this same town; he got angry when Killian told him the details of Regina's engagement and marriage to a man that easily could be her father …and by the end of the night, although having to deal with a bender, he feels lighter and, even, happier.

Little does he know that in a few hours this sense of wellbeing will be erased, not only by a hell of a hangover.

…..

On the third day after his arrival, luck isn't on Robin's side anymore. He has to pick up his son from his sister's house as he deals with the remnants of too much alcohol in his system, and soon he'll come face to face with the woman responsible of last night's intoxication.

At first, he doesn't notice her. He's walking towards the door of Granny's Diner after having bought a coffee before heading to his sister's house to pick up his son, hoping that some caffeine would help with his headache and hangover when he hears the unmistakable sound of those bells Granny hangs on the door to announce someone's entering her business. He spots her before she notices him, but this time there is no way of avoiding her.

He gulps at the sight of her, and it appears this encounter is what people in town have been waiting for, because the two or three customers in line for a coffee, turn to look at the interaction between the two exes, and the ones at the tables stop talking or ordering their food. So much so, that Granny has the need to say, "Are you going to order something or keep staring as idiots?"

"R-Regina..." is the only word that leaves his mouth.

"Robin…" is what she replies with uneasiness.

Robin is standing between the exit and the counter so Regina can't walk inside if he doesn't step to one side, but he is so troubled by her presence that he remains paralyzed in the same place just looking at her.

And, well, if he believed before this town was cursed and frozen in time, in that precise moment he is sure he is facing the very sorcerer that cast that curse, because not only she hasn't aged a bit, but also she looks better. Regina has always been an extremely beautiful and classy woman, but now she looks more sophisticated, even regal, and she continues to be as breathtaking as ever.

When Robin realizes he is preventing her from reaching the counter, he steps to one side, gesturing with one of his hands in a way that clearly shows he is letting her pass as he says, "Uhm …sorry."

She looks at him, but quickly takes his eyes away and mouths a quiet _thank you_.

That's all the interaction between them, and he exits the little diner visibly affected by the encounter he just had.

Not even the cold weather makes him react, and for a few seconds, he stays in shock outside the diner. When he reacts, he finds himself confused and doesn't know what to do next due to the contradictory instructions he receives. His instinct tells him to walk away just as he did years ago, but his heart (and years of therapy) tells him to wait for her, to try to talk to her and at least find some answers. His brain wins the inner battle, though, and he decides to wait for her outside the diner, hoping she is there only to buy a coffee and leave because if she is taking breakfast there, his ass will freeze within seconds.

As he drinks from his cup of coffee, welcoming the warmth the liquid brings him, he turns to look through the windows, just to see if she's still there ...maybe she has already left the place using the backdoor...and, honestly, he wouldn't blame her. And, since it has been proven that today is far away from being his lucky day, as he keeps staring through Granny's Diner struggling to find an empty spot among the excessive Christmas decorations placed over the windows, trying to catch a glimpse of her, he feels someone bumping into him and his cup of coffee with the hot liquid pours all over his coat ...definitely, not his lucky day.

Before he can even see who this person is, he recognizes her voice from the few words she says. "I'm so sorry ...I was distracted ..." but it seems she is as moved as him because as soon as she lifts her gaze and finds out with whom she bumped into, she stops talking.

He reacts quickly answering before any awkward silence threatens the moment he has been looking for. "Don't be, Regina ...you don't need to be sorry. Believe me, the least I deserve is some coffee on my coat …"

He is about to continue when he hears her giggling nervously and then she adds, "I bet you do."

He pretends not hearing her and just continues talking, "Look, Regina …uhm ...actually I was waiting for you … I want … I need to talk to you ..."

"Seriously? I think you're four years late. Excuse me, but I have a patient waiting for me," she says as she opens her purse to search for something inside it and Robin knows he has some time left before she actually finds what she's looking for.

"Regina, I just need ten minutes. Settle the day and time that works better for you."

"Um ...I guess it would have worked anytime between January 15 and the end of February 2015. Have a good day Robin."

Shit.

He just watches her walk, but this time it's her the one walking away.

This is definitely a bad day.

 _ **To be continued...**_

 _ **Let me know what you think. Reviews are always appreciated. You can follow for updates on any of my fics in my twitter account celianomas!**_


	2. Chapter 2

"I talked to him this morning," says Regina after some minutes of internal deliberation if she should share her morning's odd encounter with Emma.

"Oh! And, how did it go?" asks Emma, trying to hide the fact that she already knew. Word spreads fast, indeed.

"He wants to talk to me, but I'm not sure I want that," answers Regina as she drinks from her glass of wine.

Emma and Regina have been best friends since as long as both of them can remember, but their relationship grew closer when Emma came to live to the Mills' household.

Emma was raised in Storybrooke by her grandparents after they claimed custody of their granddaughter after her parents died in an accident. But it seemed Emma's fate was to experience loss again, because her grandfather died when she was a child, and her grandmother, some months before she turned 18, leaving her with no other relative and in risk to be put into the foster system since she still was a minor. However, Regina's father pulled all the strings he could to keep Emma with them, until she turned 18 and could decide what she wanted to do with her life, and could be allowed to use the fund trust her parents left her.

Nonetheless, Emma's stay in the Mills' house became longer than planned when she found out she was pregnant and upon Henry's insistence, she decided to continue living with them, even if she had to endure Cora Mills' constant remarks of how bad influence Emma was on her daughter.

Henry and Regina's support had been what kept Emma on the right track during that time. After their advice Emma decided to have the baby and keep it, and Emma had been so grateful for that, that when she found out her baby was a boy, she decided to name him after Henry Mills.

Emma had been Regina's best friend since high school, but from the time Emma went to live with the Mills, she turned into the sister Regina never had and always wanted. There were no secrets between the two women, both were the confidant of the other one, and this didn't change over the years.

Emma knows Regina's life through and through and is well aware of how much suffering Cora's actions brought into Regina's life. She has witnessed the countless nights Regina couldn't sleep because of the way she felt after Cora left; she has hugged Regina as she cried after Robin's departure; she has spent days and nights keeping Regina company as she waited for a call that never came; she was the only person in town that knew the circumstances of her marriage to another man, not even three months after ending a five year relationship with another one; but moreover, Emma knows that Regina never was able to get over Robin Locksley, and how much it must have troubled her seeing him this morning.

"Maybe it is that you're afraid that conversation will open some doors you think you closed four years ago," says Emma as she pours more wine in Regina's empty glass, and into her own.

"So, now you're the shrink, huh? Well, no, it's not that, Emma. It's that I have a life here. I worked my ass off to clean my name so that people in this town stop seeing me as fucking Cora Mills' daughter or poor Henry Mills' daughter and I think I succeeded. After all these years people see me for who I am and for what I achieved, and I don't want to risk it by bringing back Robin again into my life ...and there is still Leopold ...he is my husband," replies Regina visibly annoyed by Emma's remarks.

"Don't fuck with me, Regina! Since when do you care what people in this town think about you? If you did, you would have never married Leopold, and you just went with it not giving a shit about what those people thought! And, your marriage to Leopold …please … Leopold, you and I know what that is about."

Regina listens to Emma, drinks from time to time, thinking what to say next because what Emma just told her was nothing but the truth, and denying it wouldn't change the reality.

"And still if what you say is true, Emma, there's a wife or a girlfriend somewhere ...I saw him with a child who definitely is his son."

"Uhm ...you know? If you want some details about Robin's life, I might be able to give you an update ...Killian and Robin were together last night at The Rabbit Hole ...and, well, you know how talkative some people are after two drinks."

Regina lifts one of her brows indicating her surprise "Seriously? And why do you think I'm interested in Robin's life?"

"WelI, I think deep down you want to talk about what Robin said to Killian," adds Emma smirking.

"And, what makes you think you know me so well?" asks Regina smiling back at Emma.

"Oh, Regina please, in the first place, you know I'm the only one that can read you like an open book, and second, if you really wouldn't want to know about Robin, you wouldn't have brought up this topic and would have already found an excuse to leave."

"True," answers Regina and Emma can't hide her surprise after hearing Regina admit the fact that she does want to know about what Robin's life has been all those years.

"Well, as a matter of fact, you're wrong. There's no wife, girlfriend or any other woman in his life. So, he's a free man," begins Emma.

"But I'm not a free woman."

"If I remember well, Regina, you can be free whenever you want. Leopold agreed on it. You told me so," says Emma.

"Even if I wanted to be free, and I'm not saying that's the case, …" says Regina, and Emma can't help but grin "...you're assuming he has feelings for me and after vanishing for four years, he has shown just the opposite."

"I think you should hear what he has to say, and for a minute put yourself in his shoes. How do you think he reacted when he heard about the news of your engagement to Leopold? He's not the only one to blame. I'm not saying that you are, but that both of you were collateral damage. The shit Cora and Robert left behind with their actions dragged you both into all of this."

Regina is about to answer something, but the way she shakes her head without saying a word shows without any doubt that she is backing down. For some seconds neither woman talks until Regina breaks the silence, "What's the point in giving him a chance to explain anything if in two or three weeks he'll be gone again?"

"You don't know that, Regina. I suggest listening to what he has to say. He hasn't been living his best life in England. It might surprise you."

After some minutes both women say their goodbyes and leave, but Emma's words refuse to leave Regina's mind and keep coming for the next hours to torment her.

* * *

" _Regina, I'm glad you came," said Leopold standing up to greet Regina. "Please, have a seat."_

" _Well, I must say I'm really curious after the message you left, Leopold."_

" _Look, Regina I ...I wanted to talk to you ...uhm …I have something to offer that you might find interesting and beneficial for you, and, well, I hope you don't take it the wrong way." Leopold began talking, and it was obvious that whatever he planned to tell Regina is not something that he could voice easily._

 _Leopold Blanchard was a powerful and extremely wealthy man. He was the owner of most of the properties in town and had investments not only in Storybrooke, but also in the nearby cities. However, for most of the citizens of Storybrooke, power or wealth don't matter at all when there is something to gossip about like the life of an eccentric middle-aged widower who prefers solitude and being away from town for prolonged periods of time than to show any interest in the many women (most of them more concerned in his wallet and bank accounts than in him) that for years have been trying to throw themselves on him (and on his bed), as a way of reaching his fortune._

 _But it happens that for some weeks, Leopold Blanchard's life had taken a back seat to let the one of Regina Mills be the subject of people's rumors, fantasies, judgment and made up stories. 'Look at her, she's just like her mother. No wonder why the Locksley boy ran away to the other side of the world.'; 'It's only a matter of time before she does the same as her mother'; 'Don't forget she was raised by that bitch of Cora Mills' …_

 _Since the scandal of Cora Mills and Robert Locksley became a public affair, it was the talk of the town. Comments, judgments, mockery, whispers about Regina Mills have been everywhere, and apparently, Robert Locksley had been a more popular neighbor than Cora Mills, because people in Storybrooke had been far more merciful towards Robert's son than towards Cora's daughter._

 _But the break people in Storybrooke were giving Leopold while they tore apart Regina, didn't please him at all, and having been himself submitted to the same criticism for years had made him work on something that could benefit both of them._

" _I'm listening," said Regina intrigued about what could possibly benefit her in a situation where she has already lost everything. Her mother ran away; her engagement ended; the man she loves, left; her father depressed, his term as mayor ending and, since the odds of a re-election were very slim, there wouldn't be a decent salary for him; her father was financially broken because her mother left with their life savings; the mansion where she was raised was on sale and her father would have to move with her; she was stuck in this town with no possibilities of going away because she had to look after her father. It seemed like nothing could benefit her right now._

" _I wanted to talk to you … uhm…because since your mother ran away with Robert …" Regina couldn't help showing a gesture of disgust at the remark about her mother's misconduct, but Leopold continued talking unaware of the pain the mere names of Cora and Robert brought her "…I have noticed there are five pariahs in this town, but only two of them are still here, since one went to England and the other two, I don't think will ever have the nerve to come back."_

" _You mean ...are you referring to us?" asked Regina even though she was well aware he was talking about the two of them._

" _Exactly. People in this town see us very much the same. They talk behind our backs, judge us, criticize our choices, despise us, but for me, it's a little different. They still show me some respect, maybe because they fear me, maybe out of convenience …I will never know, but with you, these people have been brutal..."_

 _Leopold paused for some seconds and Regina used them to her advantage, "Why do you still care what they think about you? I already got used to the way they look at me ...for me, it's been just a few weeks, and I can assure each day it hurts less. Other things still hurt the same, though."_

" _I guess I don't care as much as you think, Regina. But this is not about me anymore. It's about Mary Margaret ...and about something else. Uhm ...what people say about me is affecting Mary Margaret, she has even thought about leaving town and, David, her fiancé, just got the position at the Police Department here and he won't ask for a transfer, so they will end up separated by distance. I don't want my child to go through the hell you're living now. No child should pay the price of their parents' choices."_

 _Regina waited for him to continue whatever he had to say, and only whispered a, "Go ahead," for him to proceed._

" _I'll be honest with you, Regina. Despite my fortune and being the owner of most of the businesses in this town, people see me with disdain, they don't accept me as one of them. You certainly have heard what they say about me."_

" _I've heard something, yes, but, I'm not like the rest of the town, so actually I believe little of what I hear, and from what's left, I think it's each person's business and not mine."_

" _Well, you'll be the first one to know the truth from me. Most of what you've heard is true. Long story short: Raised by an authoritarian father and an overprotective mother, I always thought something was wrong with me when the object of my desire was the lads rather than the lasses. At some point, I tried to suppress my desires by marrying a woman thinking she could …" he air quoted "... fix me; it didn't work, obviously, and Ava was miserable until the day she died; she wasn't happy because I couldn't give her what she wanted, still we had a child, one that I love with all my heart, and who will suffer if she finds out the truth about her father; this town won't understand my choices, and will judge me …"_

 _Regina didn't let Leopold finish and said, "I think Mary Margaret can handle the truth about your sexuality, Leopold. She's an adult, and we are in the 21st century, even if we're in this goddamn town. If that's your concern, I'll say you're overreacting."_

 _Leopold looked at her, smiled warmly and continued, "Maybe she can handle it … but, there's reason number two ...I ...I have someone …someone younger than me that doesn't live here. He lives in Boston … He's the only son of very wealthy and conservative parents. The heir of an empire, but his father will disinherit him the minute he confirms the truth about us ...and, well, his parents already suspect that the two of us are involved in something more than business …and ...um ...we both think it would be best to distract their attention if the man suspected of being their son's lover is married to someone else."_

" _Oh, no, no! You are not implying what I think you are?" asked Regina with stupor in her eyes._

" _Regina, I know this is something you didn't expect, but look at it objectively. I want us to be partners, associates. I offer you my protection, my friendship, and my utmost respect. Under my protection, you can develop your career with no financial worries. Your father would be taken care of, you wouldn't need to sell your house, he could continue living there. You would enjoy everything I have while we remain married, and when we decide we no longer want to be married, you still get to have half of what we achieve during our marriage. No sex between us and total freedom to have other partners, sex partners included or any relationship as long as it is handled discreetly. I have two apartments in Boston, one could be for your exclusive use for any encounters you might want to have. No questions, no judgment."_

 _Regina was shocked, to say the least, after what Leopold told her. She couldn't believe she discussed those details with a man she'd known for years, but, at the same time, doesn't know at all ...and, it's even worse because she had met his daughter. She was not a friend of Mary Margaret; Regina was some years older, but in a town like this everybody knew each other._

 _She was uncomfortable with what their conversation had turned into, and she thought for some seconds about standing up, leaving and pretending this never happened, but something (maybe it's that Leopold mentioned his father) told her that she should finish listening to what this man had to say. And she did, beginning to ask some details about what he was proposing to her. "First of all, I don't care about the money. Second, I noticed you just said 'when we decide we don't want to remain married' …so, does this mean you actually consider this as something temporary, that at some point any of us can end it?"_

" _I knew money wouldn't be your motivation, Regina. I'm aware of that and I'm glad because it proves I wasn't wrong. And, regarding your second concern, well, this would be an unconventional marriage, we would have unconventional rules and, yes, any of us could end it whenever we want."_

" _And what do you get from this?" asked Regina, again._

" _A refined, intelligent open-minded beautiful wife, one that will be the perfect company in galas, openings, business travels, and that would make quite the impression. Someone able to host any event here with class and good taste. A friend, a confidant, someone that will know my darkest secrets without judging me ...and yes, someone that would help distract the attention over my boyfriend and I, until the waters calm."_

" _And what's the catch?" she continued questioning Leopold._

" _Well, I'd say there's no catch. It's a win-win for both of us. In any case, I'd prefer to use the word 'condition' and it even isn't a limitation, but it would be an unwise choice for our ..." he pauses in search of the adequate word ".. uhm ...agreement. You should avoid getting pregnant because I would end fathering another man's child, and that would be unfair for you, your child, the father of your child, Mary Margaret and me …so I'd say that's the only catch …Oh, well ...and confidentiality about our arrangement ...and ...uhm … I would like to remain married for a year or so."_

 _Everything Leopold had said seemed reasonable considering the atypical scenario they were discussing, but there were still some things that Regina needed to clear before she made any choice, so she continued with her interrogation._

" _And why me? You could have chosen any woman here. Haven't you seen how women throw themselves on your arms any chance they get? Don't you think Ruby would be dying to accept something like this? Zelena, even? She's ambitious, loves power and in the blink of an eye, she would accept an arrangement like this ...Or, maybe, a more mature choice would be better? … uhm ...like Ingrid?"_

" _Why you? Wow, Regina, haven't you looked in a mirror? To start, I think in this town people that have begun to tear you apart now that you've been subjected to public shame are of two types: those who envy your beauty and class, and those who lust after you and know they won't have you. Then, it is that I've seen you endure these past weeks with extreme strength; not once I've seen you break and you have so much going on, but you are facing this with the poise and composure of a queen. And I need a queen by my side."_

 _Regina smiled at Leopold's compliment. It' was comforting hearing someone point out her fortitude._

" _And Ruby? Seriously? She's the town slut. Marrying her will bring down my cover-up before we leave the city hall. And, Zelena and Ingrid I don't trust them to share what I just told you, and …well, I am not attracted to women, but if I were I'm sure you'd be my type," finished Leopold._

 _Regina smiled again at Leopold's words. Despite the topic of their conversation and what she had endured the past weeks, at least this man had made her smile twice that morning._

" _You'll understand this is a lot to deal with, Leopold. I need to think this through, and also Robin and I just broke up, and, well, we said we'll retake our relationship when we were ready ...you know after everything we went through we both needed some time apart, and he decided to leave town, but what if he comes and I'm married to another man?"_

" _Yeah, you'll have to evaluate all that. Think it through, Regina. Take all the time you need."_

" _Oh, Leopold you said there must be confidentiality, but I would need advice from someone else. Emma Swan."_

" _It's okay. Only Emma Swan. I trust her judgment."_

* * *

Sunday mornings are the same for Robin as any other day. His son doesn't care which day of the week it is or if they're on vacation; he is an early riser, and a Sunday morning doesn't make any difference.

As soon as he hears his son calling him, Robin takes his phone to check what time is it and find out if Roland got to sleep a little later. With the time difference between the US and England, Roland's nap and bedtime schedules are still a bit messed up, and he needs to know if, with each passing day, his son is adjusting better.

He grabs his phone from the nightstand and seeing the message displayed on the screen is enough to make him jump off the bed and switch his brain into a full alert mode. It's a number he doesn't recognize, but the little he can read indicates without any doubt who's the sender.

Sunday, December 16th. Noon. The cabin in the woods.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

It's a message from Regina, and if he remembers well he was the one who said, the day before, settle the day and time that works better for you ...and she just did that! He never thought she would want to meet him and listen to what he has to say after all these years: least of all, that it would be this soon because it happens that today is fucking December 16th and of all days during his stay this is the only day he actually isn't available at that time.

If he ever doubted about Murphy's Law, well, this time he doesn't.

Nonetheless, he has dreamt about having this chance for the last four years, being honest with himself not the whole four years, but since he accepted he needed closure with her. So, he'll cancel whatever plan messes with the prospect of seeing and talking to her one more time, even if this means his family would kill him for standing them up.

He realizes the only purpose of this rendezvous is to ease his conscience; he comprehends that. This doesn't mean a romantic encounter (he knows he lost his chance with her years ago …accepting that fact has cost him a lot of money and years of therapy sessions), not even the choice of place gives him hope she might want something different. She is a married woman, and he respects that. He is not like his bastard of a father who got involved with someone else's wife, and he knows Regina isn't like her mother, either. For both of them the sins of their parents still weigh too heavily, so he is very much aware of the sole purpose of their encounter, yet he can't help the excitement that knowing he will see her in a few hours, brings him.

He manages to be free between 11:30 in the morning and 2:00 in the afternoon, and arranges that Roland stays with Belle during that time. He'll arrive late to the Sunday lunch his family has been planning.

And, it isn't that he is naive or insane enough to think that Regina would listen to him for two hours because, honestly, he thinks he'd be lucky if she hasn't already backed out. The two and a half hour time slot he has cleared is because he needs enough time to get there, to return to her sister's place, and in between have the talk he's been postponing for four fucking years, which he hopes would last more than the ten minutes he requested.

He arrives in time, actually, he's there ten minutes before noon. He borrowed his mother's car, parked it in a detour of the highway and reached the cabin by foot. Despite it being winter, he didn't freeze his ass off, and he thinks this walk was worth the effort. He doesn't want someone passing by and recognizing his mother's car in front of the Mills' cabin. Everyone in this town would understand what that means, especially Leroy Grump who happens to take the road near the cabin to do whatever job he says he does, and the one person whose lack of discretion is well known.

Robin wants to avoid any gossip or misunderstanding, even though they are doing nothing wrong. He knows how people in this town think and how much harm their made up stories can do.

He can't help the longing when he gets there. He spots a car parked outside. It's a Mercedes Benz, classy and elegant, just like she is. Definitely, hers.

He sighs, takes a flask from the inner pocket of his coat, it's not even noon, and regardless, before knocking the door he drinks from it, hoping that the two or three sips of whiskey he consumes can conjure some courage and give him some strength, because certainly, they won't act as a love potion.

Robin knocks the door as he has done thousands of times before, and even though he strikes the door strongly and resolutely, his heart beats so fast and loud that he swears she'd hear it rather than the bang on the door.

He watches the door open slowly, just to reveal her standing by the door, wearing a casual outfit. Not the elegant pantsuits and pencil skirts he has seen her wearing the past few days. This time, she wears dark skinny jeans, a loose gray sweater with a turtleneck, and a pair of boots. Even though the sweater is loose and reaches below her hips, it fails to hide the form of her breasts, hips, and ass. Her hair, which now is shorter than it used to be, is neatly done and her soft makeup enhances her natural beauty. She's perfect even in this casual style, and he can't help staring at her for more time than would be considered appropriate.

She breaks the awkwardness of the moment clearing her throat as she opens the door wider for him to come inside but doesn't say a word.

Robin doesn't hesitate and steps inside leaving the cold weather behind and taking his coat off to hang it on the coat rack by the entry which he knows very well. He hasn't even finished hanging his coat when he hears her say as she gestures with one of her hands indicating to sit on the couch "Well, you asked for ten minutes ...I'm listening."

Shit! Why did he ask for ten minutes, and not a whole hour of her time? Or maybe ten minutes would be enough because, from the tone of her voice and the way she folds her arms across her chest, he can say she's not pleased to see him and is definitely pissed, so ten minutes could actually be more than enough.

He believes it's better to just cut to the chase, and he does exactly that. "You moved on, Regina, that's why I didn't call."

"Maybe I wouldn't have moved on if you'd have answered ONE, Robin, ONE, of my calls or messages," she raises her voice lifting one of her fingers in an unmistakable representation of number one, stares at him fiercely and when he notices the vein in her forehead popping out, he knows he's fucked.

Robin gulps at Regina's words. What she just said is nothing but the truth. He never returned any of her calls. Some of them just went to the voicemail when he didn't answer the phone because he was totally wasted; others, he just ignored along with those of friends and even the ones of his sister or mother.

However, he strives to explain his side of the story. "Regina, when I arrived in London I was in a dark place …a very dark one …angry with my father, heartbroken, with no friends, no job, I didn't want to know anything about this town, I wanted to disappear ...and I began drinking. Days and nights were the same for me. I lost track of time …of me …sooner than what I would have thought I became the shadow of the man you knew. It's not that I didn't want to call you ...it's that I just couldn't …I hadn't any strength left ...and I hated the man I became."

He watches her as she pays attention to what he said. She doesn't blink and listens to him undaunted. Her face doesn't show any emotion and it's difficult for him to tell if she's angry, sad or affected by his story. He is about to continue when he hears her speak.

"Well, now imagine how should have felt dealing with all of that while this fucking town tore you apart and you had to witness your only parent drowning in sorrow without a single chance to run away or drown your pain in alcohol because you had to work with the little strength you had left just to pay your father's bills, because the bitch of your mother ran away with everything your parents had!" She raises her voice, she's not yelling, though, but her words have enough passion and strength to scare the shit out of him. "I wasn't in a good place, either, Robin."

Robin hears Regina and realizes her cold expression seconds before was just a mask. She is the same passionate woman that doesn't hold anything back and feels everything deep inside her with her whole heart and soul. The same woman he ran away from four years ago, and that now is taken …and as he thinks about her being with another man, the words he says next leave his mouth before he realizes what he has said.

"But it seems your misfortune didn't last long, Regina. In three months you were ready to marry someone else …so don't you dare throw in my face that you moved on because I didn't call you! When I gathered enough courage to call you, I found out you were engaged and about to marry fucking Leopold Blanchard!"

Robin regrets his words the second he finishes speaking, and he sees the look of pain in her eyes. He is about to apologize when he hears her talk.

"Pity you couldn't work on your issues earlier, Robin. Don't you dare judge me! Don't you dare go there! You weren't here, you didn't contact me, not a word, not a fucking message for three months …you don't know what I went through those first months, until …"

"Until someone threw you a lifesaver," continues Robin finishing Regina's sentence for her.

"That's not what I was going to say, but, yes someone did that for me. And I'm glad it happened," answers Regina.

"So, you did move on. I ...I was hoping there would be another explanation for your sudden relationship and marriage to a man you barely knew," says Robin, and can't help the expression of disappointment hearing her admit her happiness for marrying someone else, brings him.

"Well, things changed after you left and went off the grid for months ...and ….uhm...it was the same for you, Robin. You also moved on."

"Just so you know, Regina, actually, I never moved on. I never could." Robin is surprised at himself and his abrupt display of honesty because he just voiced the fact he has known for years, but had remained hidden from most people and even from himself most of the time. Sharing this with Regina hadn't been his plan when he asked for ten minutes of her time the day before.

"So, your wife, your son? Do they mean nothing?" asks Regina with an expression of disbelief.

And well what has been going in Robin's life for the past four years is something that needs more than ten minutes for him to explain, but he has decided that the least he could give her is some honesty, and, definitely, that would take more time. So he just asks her, "Can you give me more than ten minutes, Regina? I think we both deserve the truth and I'm willing to share it with you."

The only two words she says next make impossible for Robin to determine if she is eager to know more about his life or if she doesn't care at all, and instead of kicking him out she just decides to listen to him politely.

"Go on."

Robin sighs and begins his side of the story. He starts talking slowly and pausing from time to time to choose the best wording.

"You had a lifesaver, and I'm glad for it ...I really am, Regina. But I also had someone. She helped me, she picked up every single piece of shit that was left of me and my life, encouraged me to find a job, convinced me to begin attending therapy sessions, helped me understand that the way I chose to cope with what happened to us was not the best one ...maybe it was the easiest way out and not calling you back then … well, that's something I learned to live with every fucking day … Anyway, in the process Marian, her name is ...was Marian, and I became friends, best friends, she was the support system I was craving for ...uhm …we were very close, and one night we were at my place, celebrating a promotion I just had at my job ...one that she insisted I should run for, and …well ...we slept together. Clearly, it was a mistake, because things became weird between us since that moment, but from that mistake came the biggest joy I could have been gifted with: my son. We agreed to co-parent Roland, to share custody and we made our friendship work, but just after Roland turned one, she got sick …something complicated ...no treatment …the doctors couldn't do much for her, and she died some months ago."

Robin never imagined how difficult it would be to open up to Regina about Marian and her sickness. The little he was able to tell her has put him at the verge of breaking apart remembering the weeks prior to Marian's death, and how difficult it had been to take care of his son when he knew he'd be growing up without his mother. He hasn't been able to gather enough strength to share with Regina more details about Marian's illness and how firmly she had insisted that Robin should return to Storybrooke and try to find some closure with Regina, and maybe retrieve what was once taken away from him.

"I ...I'm so sorry to hear that, Robin. I truly am. I can't imagine having to deal with the death of someone that close and so important to you and the most significant person in your child's life," says Regina as she squeezes Robin's hand. This slight touch is the first time in four years they have some sort of physical contact, and for Robin, it's reassuring and meaningful. However, he can't help thinking that this gesture comes from Regina, the therapist, and, by any means, it's a sign that things might become friendly between them.

"Yeah, it was hard ...still is ...and that incident in our lives has made me re-evaluate a lot of things, even the possibility of coming back here in a more permanent way. Raising a son as a single dad in a city with no relatives is hard, and I think it's a better choice to finally settle down in the town where my mother and sister live ...still if it is this goddamn town."

"So, are you staying?"

"It seems so, but first I need to check some work stuff here. I already told you about me, Regina, and I hope you can understand why I couldn't get in touch with you. I hope you can forgive me for letting you down. But, I need to know about you, Regina. I hope life has been more generous with you than how it has treated me," says Robin trying to shift the topic of the conversation to something that has been eating him alive for years: her motivations for accepting to marry another man.

"I ...I need time for forgiveness, Robin. I'm not in such a place right now. I don't regret any choice I made if that's what you are implying. Under the circumstances I had to face, I think I did the best with the little alternatives I had left."

Robin nods, looking deeply at her expressive brown eyes. She's so beautiful, and her eyes tell him something different than what she says with words. If he's not misreading, she has a soft gaze, almost tender and caring. She's emotional; her eyes are clouded with tears that menace to fall all over her face at any moment. Certainly, she's touched by their conversation, and not angry anymore, and he thinks it's time to ask the one question he has been dying to ask for years. However, he is afraid she might react badly; he doesn't want to risk the little progress he has made since he arrived for a ten minute talk, almost half an hour ago. He has been honest with her and, actually, he isn't expecting to win her back; he knows she's married, but at least he needs to know the truth about something.

"And, your husband? Do you love him? Does he make you happy? I've heard some rumors about him, and I'm wondering if with his background he still manages to make you happy."

"What kind of question is that Robin? You used to be better than that and just give a shit about rumors and gossip."

Shit. He ruined everything.

"Sorry, Regina. I think I deserve an answer. I hope you can give it to me. Your marriage to him is just something …uhm ...unexpected to say the least. You ...you were never close to Leopold Blanchard, you didn't even speak a word to him. How come you suddenly decided to marry him? Unless..."

"Unless, what, Robin? Unless I already knew him because I cheated on you with him? Is that what you are implying? Is that what you have been thinking all this time? That I'm just like my mother."

Shit. Again, he ruined things with her.

"Regina, that's not what I was going to say, and I'm sorry if my words made you think I would say something like that. It's just that I try to find an explanation, but I can find none, there's no logic. We were engaged three months before you married him, and by the time you were marrying him, I just can't stop thinking it should have been me."

"I learned to love Leopold; he's an amazing man and has been a great support to me. That's what you should be glad about. Sometimes things are not what they appear to be. I would have never imagined your life to be what you just told me. I would have thought of you with a perfect family and a loving wife waiting for you somewhere. You would be surprised to know what my life has been, but it's not my call to share it with you. That's between Leopold and me, and I hope you understand and respect it."

Shit. He understands it and will respect it, but can't be happy about it.

As Robin drives back to his mother's house, he thinks how hard would be seeing her every day, because he's certain that in a town as small as this one, they'll cross paths daily.

Little does he know then that he doesn't need to torture himself with those thoughts, at all.

During the next days, he'll be receiving a little help from the last person in the world he would have thought, and the journey to retrieve the woman he is still in love with will begin.

* * *

 _ **Any thoughts?**_


	3. Chapter 3

"I met him, Leo. Earlier today," says Regina as she takes a handful of dried fruits and nuts beginning to eat one by one.

Since her mother ran away on a Christmas Eve, she has never been able to celebrate another Christmas. The four Christmases that came next had been just a long holiday for her, and she has avoided any sort of celebration with friends, Secret Santas, and most of all, every Christmas Dinner on the 24th or Christmas lunch on the 25th during all those years.

In two weeks the fifth Christmas since the incident that changed Regina's life will arrive, and her feelings towards this festivity remain the same, although now she has better control of her distress which increases each day the date gets closer to December 24th.

And that's exactly the reason why she doesn't put up a Christmas tree or any Christmas decoration, and after marrying Leopold she was relieved finding out that he, being an eccentric man, didn't care at all about the celebration itself or any traditions.

However, there is something she can't do without, and it's a generous amount of dried fruits and nuts that she refills in a tray she has on the coffee table of their living room, and in a bowl that remains on the table of their dining room since the first day of December until the very last one.

Regina thinks it's because when she was a child, her father had a tray of mixed nuts, decorated nicely with cinnamon sticks and clove, on his desk during the weeks previous to Christmas and he used to sneak some inside her pockets for her to eat later. Cora never allowed Regina to have any snacks between meals, and this was a sort of complicity between father and daughter, a little secret only both of them shared.

"I imagined you'd meet him this morning. No wonder why it took you so long to get ready and I also noticed you were off during breakfast ...your mind was elsewhere, darling," Leopold smiles warmly at her and then, continues, "How was it?"

"It was hard seeing him again, but better than expected. Uhm ...Still, I'm surprised about what I found out ...I thought some things were one way. It happened, they weren't as they appeared," responds Regina smiling sadly, as she thinks about everything Robin told her some hours ago.

Since the day Leopold made Regina an unconventional proposal, he kept his word and offered her his friendship and with that, his advice and an interesting view of things. Over time, Regina was surprised to find in Leopold a good friend and confidant. He was an intelligent, successful and generous man that never ceased to impress her with a different approach to whatever was troubling her. She would never have guessed that this man would become one of her best friends.

They have built their relationship based on mutual respect and trust. Each of them has been totally free to discuss any topic they felt the need to and have received from the other support and sincere advice to the best of their abilities.

Leopold has shared details about his early years, his struggles as a teenager and young adult, his life when married to his first wife, and his relationship with Phil. This one being the one topic that has been addressed more frequently between them lately. Maybe, because Leopold's marriage was, in fact, Phil's idea; or, perhaps, because Regina and Leopold are aware their marriage would be ending soon now that Phil can finally claim the properties and shareholdings of his father's companies as his, since his father's death some months ago. Or, because Regina, as a therapist, has an interesting way of making Leopold examine his choices, making him feel comfortable while doing what most people don't like to do: recognize which choices had been a wrong move, and the reasons behind them.

For her part, during these four years, Regina has been able to open up with Leopold and share with him her concerns about her father's health, talk openly about her mother, discuss their theories about where she could have fled with her lover, give details about some friends that kept her company in her apartment in Boston, and tell her worries if any of these became too pushy or more demanding. This has been part of their arrangement, and, since those encounters have been held outside town and handled discreetly, just as they had agreed, there was no big deal, other than Leopold's concern on Regina's safety.

However, although Regina has shared with him parts of her past and present life, the _Robin topic_ has been addressed very few times, mostly at the beginning of their marriage or when Leopold brought it up to the conversation. And, this is something that has always made Leopold think it is still a painful subject for Regina and that she's not over Robin.

The few opportunities they've discussed it, Regina had been able to open up and share her feelings with Leopold, but she was never the one to introduce such a topic into a conversation. Thus, Leopold is surprised that this time Regina is the one that alludes to Robin on her own accord, and thinks she might have the need to talk about it.

She is lying down on the couch, with her head on a cushion and a blanket covering her feet, while Leopold is seated on his favorite armchair with a drink in one of his hands. Both were trying to find something to watch on Netflix; however, after Regina's confession, Leopold put the remote control on the table and turned to look at her, waiting for her to talk next, but after some seconds of silence he's the one who talks, "Do you want to tell me? I'm here for you, dear. I'm all ears."

"He's a single man. He lived a nightmare. The mother of her son died some months ago, and he's staying in town, it seems. Shit, Leo ...I thought he was just being a dick all these years ….when actually he was struggling to survive ...he was another victim of my mother and his father's shit," answers Regina as she stands up to grab another handful of nuts.

"I bet Emma knew everything," she whispers to herself but fails, because Leopold answers her, "Of course, dear. Not in vain she's the best detective this police station has. Even with the low crime rate here, she has made a name and David has received several requests for Emma to lead investigations in other cities."

"But I think this time wasn't because of her superpowers or deduction skills. Killian and Robin had been drinking two nights ago. I guess that's how she knew and convinced me to give Robin a chance to explain his side of the story ...and now I can't stop thinking about him. I had everything sorted out in my life, Leo ….I ...I was ...content with our agreement ...and now, I ...I don't know what to do. I ...I am conflicted."

"You are not conflicted. You _never_ stopped thinking about him, dear. Who are you trying to fool? Not even Graham or Jeff helped you move on ...and, I bet for Locksley it has been the same," replies Leopold.

Leopold's words prove how well he has gotten to know Regina during the last years because it happens he's damn right. He has figured out Regina never stopped loving Robin although she has never confessed it to him explicitly.

"I ...I tried to forget him, I did ...but, everything and everyone in this town kept reminding me of him ...and now, with him here and with the possibility of him staying...I ...I'm back to square one! I … I ...this is so hard, Leo …He began asking about us …and he wants to know ...but, I didn't tell him anything …you don't have to worry ...still I know he won't settle with what I told him ..."

Regina stutters, goes back and forth, has difficulty to finish her sentences, and tears are beginning to cloud her eyes. Leopold notices it immediately, so he stands up and sits by her side.

"Regina, stop, please …" he gives her his glass and continues talking slowly " ...please take a drink. It will help you relax and breath, yes dear, one ...yes, two ...that's it, darling ….keep going ...three …here we go ..." says Leopold as he caresses her back in a soothing up and down movement. "Are you feeling better?"

She takes the glass from him and drinks twice before she answers him, "Yes, thanks Leo. I'm sorry. I don't know what is happening to me ...I ..I just feel overwhelmed, with no control over my emotions. It's like if by seeing him ...talking to him again, the door of the room where I kept painful memories, distressing situations, disappointing thoughts just opened, unlocking all of them ...and, now, everything I thought I overcame is unleashed inside my head, all at once ...I'm standing where I was four years ago, and I don't like this feeling, Leo."

"Uhm ...I don't think you're exactly in the same place as four years ago, Regina. Don't you feel excited knowing he's back? The fact that he's single hasn't made you hope that you both might have a second chance? I've seen that look in your eyes, a special glow that hasn't been there before."

Regina bites the sides of her mouth and _mmmmms_ as taking her time for disaggregating each statement Leopold said. She knows, as well as Leopold, this is a professional deformation which makes her have a view in the eyes of a therapist, and for therapists each single word has been chosen for a reason, most times subconsciously, and has a meaning for the one who talks, and an impact on the one who listens.

And, in fact, all her doubts and feelings of distress began with the words Robin said some hours ago _I never moved on. I never could._ If he'd only said that he did move on, that he found someone, that he started a new life, she would have accepted it and continued living her life, just as she did all these years. But learning both of them haven't been able to get over the other one brought back all the memories of the years spent with him and, Regina realized that without knowing, Robin gave her the worst thing someone can give anyone: hope. She hates herself for having some expectation that things might be different between them. She already had the taste of what it's like to have hope, just to see her dreams vanish in the blink of an eye, and that's exactly where her conflict comes from: she doesn't want to be through that again, but has hope that maybe this time it doesn't have to be that way.

So, after one or two minutes that seem like one or two hours, she speaks.

"Well, you're right. Who am I fooling? Definitely not me, and it seems I've done a shitty job fooling you, so to be honest, yes. Yes, I'm excited that he's back and, yes, I think we might have another chance ...and ...uhm ... those feelings have been awoken when he told me he never was able to move on."

"Regina, the way things have sorted out in the last months for Phil and me ...and for you, these last days is a sign that maybe the time has come to put an end to our deal. It's time for both of us to be with the ones we love."

"But a divorce takes time, Leopold. Robin would never act upon his feelings while I'm married, so I guess I just have to wait and expect no one gets in the way during that time."

"Yes, you're right. But, at least we can begin talking to our lawyers immediately and save some time. So, please pack. We're going to Boston. And, don't worry, Locksley won't be going anywhere soon. Let me take care of everything, dear."

* * *

He's fucked!

He should have known better; he's no stranger to this town, he should have anticipated that a meeting with Regina wouldn't go unnoticed and that her husband would eventually find out. And, it happens that not even 24 hours after their encounter he receives a message from an angry husband.

 _Locksley, meet me at the cannery by the piers. You won't want to miss this. LB_

So, by his fifth day in town Robin has already pissed off the most powerful man in Storybrooke, and due to his past story with Regina and his father's background as the motherfucker who had been banging other man's wife for years, there's no way he can come out of it unharmed.

The choice of place is what worries him most. Not Granny's or any other public place in town suitable for a cup of coffee and a civil conversation in the presence of some witnesses; not the lake, which never fails to gather many visitors regardless the time of the year it is; not Leopold's office, one of the few modern buildings in town, and the workplace of many in Storybrooke, who wouldn't have missed his presence there. No, not any of those places. Instead, Leopold summons him in an abandoned factory by the piers. Shit! A place that has been abandoned for decades, the perfect location to keep someone against their will and beat the shit out of them without drawing any attention.

Robin thinks it's possible that Leopold won't even be there and he'll come face to face with a bunch of men, hired by Leopold to teach him a lesson so that he won't dare to talk to his wife ever again. Rumor has it, Leopold is fond of using some unorthodox methods to obtain what he wants, at least that's what he has heard, and he knows that behind every town rumor there's a thing or two that are true. Even though he once hadn't given a shit about town gossip, time proved him wrong.

People always said his father was a playboy and a hypocrite, and he chose not to believe; for years he heard gossips about Cora Mills being an ambitious bitch who had married Henry Mills for convenience and status, and even though he never liked the woman, he decided not to trust those rumors; even before Cora's actions were in public domain, the town's chit-chat had said Cora cheated on her husband and that turned Henry Mills into the town laughing stock, which he opted to disregard, as well. So, everything he's heard in the past has proven to be true to one degree or another.

And, there's no way that this would be any different with Leopold Blanchard and what people talked about him behind his back. Over the years he heard this man had a secret and eccentric life, a man that would use any method to achieve what he wanted, a man no one would want to get in his way, and one that preferred male partners rather than those from the opposite sex, although he has never been seen with one.

It seems everything he heard for years about Leopold Blanchard was true, except the rumor that he had a thing for males because it happens that he married the most stunning woman in town, who had admitted to love her husband.

This fact only leads him to the conclusion that he had pissed off the wrong man and that there's no other reasonable explanation for Leopold Blanchard's interest in meeting him, other than an angry jealous husband confronting his wife's ex. The only doubt Robin has left is which method of torture will Leopold be using: electrocution, beating or maybe threatening him to harm his son if he doesn't back out.

He once failed to gather enough courage to talk to the woman he was madly in love with, and this time she might not be there, but this meeting is about her. So, not showing is not an option. He won't make the same mistake twice, even at the risk of losing his own life.

Robin takes some precautions, though. He's not a dumb man and has a son to look after. He tells his sister and brother in law that he will be meeting Leopold Blanchard at the cannery upon his request. At least, if he doesn't come back in two hours, someone would know where to begin searching for him. And, for once in his life, he is grateful that his sister is married to another powerful man in town, and owner of the other half that doesn't belong to Leopold Blanchard, so he thinks at least that fact might help protect him. Leopold Blanchard wouldn't want to piss off Ethan Gold.

...

Robin arrives at the cannery fifteen minutes in advance, he's nervous and needs to know what to expect. He takes a look at his surroundings in search of any signal that this might be a trap, but nothing seems to be out of place.

Not so long after having arrived there, he hears a car approaching, and he spots a black Porsche with dark windows coming closer. The car stops a few feet away from where he is, a driver steps out and opens the door of the back seat, only to reveal Leopold Blanchard who remains seated and doesn't even make an attempt to leave the car.

"Get in, Locksley."

Shit! He should have suspected Leopold wouldn't be torturing or killing him in the specific place he summoned him, and, if he ever thought of having a death wish, he thinks it's time to begin thinking in one.

Robin gets into the car, and, as soon as he is seated, it begins to move. They drive away from the piers, taking the road that leads deep into the woods. Shit.

"So, Locksley, it seems you had the nerve to contact my wife," begins saying Leopold not even bothering to look at Robin. But Robin seeks Leopold's gaze, nonetheless, and stares directly into his eyes. He won't show fear and, in fact, he isn't afraid. He's nervous, yet not scared a bit by the older man.

"Yes. We met yesterday. I had to talk with her ...and, we did just that," explains Robin, without taking his eyes away from Leopold. He wants to show this man there's nothing he needs to be ashamed of or that might avoid him from giving an honest and true look.

"Are you aware how much you hurt her by not contacting her four years ago, Locksley? You disappeared from her life when she needed you the most."

Robin is surprised and confused, to say the least. He has been expecting something like _don't you dare talk to my wife ever again_ , or, maybe _next time I hear you got near my wife I'll kill you, Locksley_ , or perhaps no words and a punch in the face from an angry husband, instead. Still, what he reads from the tone of Leopold's voice, the look in his eyes and the expression on his face, is consideration, worry ...and, yes, care.

"I know. And that's why I needed to talk to her. I wanted to explain how things were for me ...I asked for forgiveness, Mr. Blanchard. And even though it wasn't granted to me, that was my only expectation on that meeting," clarifies Robin. He won't let Leopold Blanchard have the slightest doubt about his intentions with Regina.

"Was it?, Locksley. I don't think so ...and that doesn't have anything to do with the bastard of your father."

Okay, maybe, deep inside Robin's mind and for a fraction of a second, he might have hoped something different from that meeting. He has his feet on the ground; he's not a dreamer; he's an adult, and one that has tasted heartbreak and loss, more than once actually, so he knows the difference between a wish, a desire, something where reason doesn't play a part and the harsh fucking reality.

"Look, Mr. Blanchard, I can assure you that I know my place and, definitely, it's not near Regina. I respect your marriage. You don't have anything to worry," states Robin, but before he can add something more, he hears Leopold talking.

"Uhm ...when I married Regina I knew she was an amazing woman, but living with her, talking to her every day, spending time together gave me the chance to know her in a completely different level, and I found out she's the most fascinating creature I came across ...there must be very few women of her kind …She's smart, witty, independent, a competent professional, organized, tender, passionate, she does not do things halfway, in whatever she commits, excels, she's classy, elegant, sophisticated, well mannered ...and besides all of that she's beautiful, her features are perfect, and her body ...well, I've seen how people stare at her, men and women, young and old, single and married ...all of them fall under her spell ...You know, I have a theory about why people tore her apart all those years ago. It was envy, Locksley, pure jealousy and those shits were happy that for once Regina Mills had a stain and that there was something about her that wasn't pure perfection, and they took pleasure with her suffering."

Wow! If Robin had any doubt about Leopold's feelings towards Regina, there's none now, because after Leopold's speech it's clear that this man genuinely loves her.

"I see you love her Mr. Blanchard, and I'm glad she found someone that sees all of that in her ...which, in fact, is nothing but the truth." Robin smiles sadly as he thinks in every word another man said about the woman he loves, and tries to leave aside the uneasiness that the fact that someone referred to her as _passionate_ leaves in him because picturing her with another man in any passionate, intimate scenario hurts too much.

"Yes, I love her, Locksley. She's everything any man would want, and that's why I never understood how easily you disappeared from her life. If I didn't know any better, I would say you didn't love her, but I know that's not the case. She didn't deserve any of this in her life … the mother life gave her, and certainly, she didn't deserve the way you vanished."

"She didn't deserve any of it, but at least you were there for her, Mr. Blanchard ...and I want to thank you for that. You stood for her, you made her life better. I'm glad that at least my departure brought you into her life," adds Robin, and he would never have guessed that he would be thanking another man for being close to his Regina. But, from what Leopold just told him, it appears this man, made Regina's life better, and he hates himself for that, for giving someone else the opportunity to be there for her in the way he should have been.

However, Robin's thoughts are interrupted by Leopold, and he comes back to reality, to the back seat of a car and to the company of a man he has hated for years.

"Locksley, what I will tell you next ...I hope you won't take in a wrong way." Leopold makes a pause, looks at Robin, sighs and continues talking "My marriage to Regina isn't what you think ...our marriage isn't a conventional one. I came to her life for a different reason than what you think and I need you to believe in what I'm going to say next ...and I don't know if it's too much to ask, but I need you to trust me."

Both men are staring deeply into each other's eyes, and with his eyes glued to Robin's, Leopold admits "I love her, yes, but not in the same way as you do."

Robin doesn't understand what he just heard, needs some clarification, so he begins to talk "Mr. Blanchard…"

Nonetheless, Leopold doesn't let him finish "Look, Locksley, I haven't gotten where I am by being fooled by idiots like you, because, believe me, any man that runs away from Regina Mills is nothing but an idiot ...So, just stop pretending you don't love her because anyone can see from miles away that you're still in love with her."

Shit. Things are heating up inside the car, and Robin can't hide his uneasiness after what he just heard, that happens to be nothing but the truth. How come this man could have figured out his true feelings? Has he done such a shitty job during these four days he's been in town trying to pretend he is over her, that a man he barely knows and with whom he hadn't crossed a single word until half an hour ago, has found out the truth?

"How I feel towards Regina doesn't matter. I won't disrespect your marriage. I told you, you don't have to worry." Those are the words that Robin comes up with upon hearing a husband easily admit that another man is in love with his wife.

"Uhm ...What if I told you that things between Regina and I are not what they appear to be? What if I told you that my love for her is not romantic, but as a friend? ….a good one, but still a friend. What if I want to give Regina a gift, the chance to retrieve something ... _someone_ she lost years ago? What would you think if I told you, you still might have a chance with her? Will you trust me?"

Is Regina's husband saying what he thinks? Is this a Christmas miracle? The perfect gift ...the one that's been on top of his Christmas list for years? Another chance with her? Robin is confused, but he has his feet on the ground, and knows those Christmas miracles only happen in fiction, in children's movies and never in real fucking life ...least of all, in his.

And, he curses himself for the millisecond he got his hopes up and loses the little control he still has.

"Are you fucking with me? Is this a joke? Because if it is, it's not funny …Or, is this a kind of test you want me to fail, so you can beat the shit out of me?" asks Robin. His face shows nothing but anger and surprise, and right at this moment, he's using the last dose of good judgment left in him, for not breaking this man's nose and step out of the car.

"I understand your bewilderment, Locksley. But this is no fucking joke. You need to take a leap of faith if you want her back. Can you be in Boston in two days, without your son, only you?"

Shit. He'll have to think about this. What if he gets there, only to find out it was just the way a jealous husband found of getting rid of him and make him disappear without a trace. If his own father betrayed his own family, what would prevent a complete stranger to do the same thing to him?

He can't be sure if it's because of Leopold's gaze that seems honest, or his words that finally did an excellent job convincing him, or his desire to believe he might have another chance with her, but before he realizes he's nodding his head.

"Okay, Locksley. I'll give you some instructions later and be sure to get to Boston not later than December 20 ...if things go as planned you'll be back to open gifts with your son on Christmas morning."

"And if they don't?"

"Well, in that case, you'll get earlier to your son ...don't worry, Locksley, either way, you're coming back to this fucking town … Oh ...and take a dark suit with you. You'll need one."

* * *

Something's troubling her. She has felt it since she and her husband had an emotional talk two days ago, yet she can't identify exactly what bothers her so much.

This feeling is affecting her ability to complete simple tasks. That's how she finds herself spending an alarming amount of time packing very few items for a brief stay in her apartment in Boston, which, in fact, shouldn't take that long, considering every piece of clothing she might need is already in that apartment, hanging in her closet or neatly tucked inside her drawers.

She is a quick packer, always has been able to choose the right outfit for any occasion in record time, but this time the lack of concentration is making very hard for her to finish gathering her stuff. And this is only a sign that whatever is bothering her is tampering with her ability to focus, to organize her ideas and be done for once with the damn suitcase.

Regina decides to do what she does best and begins examining the events of the past few days trying to find what exactly is bugging her. Yet, she realizes so much has happened in her life during the last week that it could be anything (or everything) because it happens all she thought had already been sorted out, is not. Her life is upside down again.

She needs a drink for this and decides to head to the bar and choose something that can help her find an answer, among the selection of alcoholic beverages Leopold has stocked the bar with.

Could it be the fact that her marriage is about to end, hence taking her away from her comfort zone? Or, might it be that Robin's presence in town troubles her, and now that she knows it's possible that he stays in town permanently, she needs to learn to be around him, but in a different capacity than the way she knew? Or, perhaps it's about her visit to Boston, the one Leopold has assured her would be to visit their lawyers? Or, maybe because something in Leopold is off?

Or, might it be because people in town are beginning to look at her differently? As if they were wondering when will she do to Leopold what her mother did to her father? And, it happened that, just the day before, she had to deal with that shit all over again. It was difficult enough having to deal with everything that happened in her life lately and with a Monday morning after a sleepless Sunday night, to tolerate any nonsense, besides that. But, it seemed someone had other plans for her and wanted to test her patience, because, as she waited for a cup of coffee in Granny's counter, she noticed Tink approaching her, and knew beforehand how a conversation with her would go. Tink had been Regina's friend for years, more accurately, Robin's friend, and was the one that played matchmaker for both of them. Over time Tink became as close to Regina as she was to Robin, so she had been equally heartbroken with Robin and Regina's breakup, just as if she were one of them. However, Regina never approved Tink's way of sticking her nose in private matters between them and intruding in any disagreement Robin and Regina had. Tink was consistently telling Regina to give Robin another chance, that they were meant to be together, that they were soulmates and _blah, blah, blah_ (as Regina said when the woman infuriated her) if it happened that Robin had done something to piss Regina off.

So, that Monday morning, when Tink had whispered to Regina asking if she knew Robin was back in town, failing very much so to be subtle because Regina is convinced more people heard Tink's question, Regina had felt exposed again to town gossip and rumors. And the brief encounter between the two women had ended with an utterly annoyed Regina answering she didn't have time to gossip about boys. However, Regina was aware it would take more time for her to get to her car (that was just across the street), than Tink and Regina's words to spread over town. That is exactly the shit she doesn't want to deal with ever again in her life!

Thus, after two vodka tonics, in the quietness of the living room, she arrives at the conclusion that Leopold's behavior is what bothers her the most, although the other questions she has asked herself have something to do with her distress in some way. Leopold's change of attitude has no explanation for her. He has always been so easy to read, but the more she thinks about it she realizes something's not right. He's different, odd, mysterious even. Definitely, there's something going on that she isn't aware of and that he's hiding from her, and that particular fact is responsible for her distraction.

She doesn't like surprises. People acting mysteriously around her are only a reminder that something she isn't aware of might be happening, and this only leads, deep inside her subconscious, to the event that marked her life: her mother leaving her family for the guy two blocks away. And, the same sensations of uneasiness, nervousness, anguish, distress ...are coming back.

And the more she thinks about Leopold's behavior, the more convinced she is that he's planning something.

Her suspicions began with the several times she caught Leopold talking over the phone with Mrs. Chang, the housekeeper of their apartments in Boston. There's no need to be in contact with Mrs. Chang that much, which makes her think something out of the ordinary is happening.

Leopold Blanchard is the owner of several properties in Storybrooke and other cities, but the only ones he's fond enough to manage personally, besides his mansion in Storybrooke, are the two luxurious apartments he owns in Boston. One, destined for his exclusive use, and the other, which was his wedding gift for Regina, for hers. No one knows about those properties, except for Phil, Regina, Leopold and his lawyers.

However, even though Leopold and Regina spend most of their time in Leopold's mansion in Storybrooke the two apartments they when they are in Boston are taken care of by Mrs. Chang, who's in charge of keeping both apartments stuffed with groceries, clean and with the bills paid on time. So, if by any chance Leopold or Regina decide to get there without previous notice, they'd find everything working ...just as if they lived permanently there.

Mrs. Chang doesn't need any reminder or special instruction to do her job just as Leopold and Regina expect. That's exactly how this has worked since they got married, and Mrs. Chang has proved to meet the expectations of a boss as demanding as Leopold Blanchard. Not once has Regina arrived and found things out of order or something that didn't work or some service canceled due to lack of payment. Always her apartment has been waiting for her as if she had been there the day before, even if sometimes she hadn't set foot in it for a month.

Therefore, the three or four times Regina has caught Leopold talking over the phone with Mrs. Chang during the last two days is enough to make Regina think Leopold is hiding something from her.

Then, it had been Leopold's insistence on a particular choice of clothing he insisted she should take to Boston: a specific elegant black dress. Under other circumstances, she would just have packed the dress without question, but this time is different, and she tells Leopold that she won't need such a fancy dress because she doesn't have plans to attend any event in Boston. His _maybe there's something waiting for you, dear, and you'll be grateful for this dress_ makes her think he knows something she doesn't.

But what confirmed Leopold is up to something was his odd behavior just the day before, followed by a two hour period where he was nowhere to be found, and something he let slip in an innocent conversation, this morning during breakfast.

They were having breakfast chatting animatedly about town and the newly elected mayor when Leopold said he hoped this time the Mayor would be competent enough to fix the road that leads to the woods, because it was so damaged that people inside a car kept jumping that much _that I almost had Lock..er...luck that the passenger next to me wasn't on my lap._

Locksley. He was about to say Locksley. She just knows it. That's the way he names Robin. Never by his first name. It has always been Locksley to him.

She looked at him and asked "What did you just say? Why were you taking that road, anyway? It leads nowhere," and his attempts to cover up his _lapsus linguae_ and to change the topic were far worse than his slip, which only helped her confirm her suspicions.

However, Regina decides to trust Leopold on this, yet pretending nothing's going on doesn't help her and is the reason for her distress, anxiety and lack of concentration.

Leopold's _let me take care of everything_ two days ago gives her enough confidence to think he's got everything solved and whatever he's planning is under control and shouldn't make her lose any sleep. Leopold has earned her trust and, certainly, Regina knows he won't be planning anything that might make her feel uneasy and uncomfortable. During the time they've been married, he has shown nothing but care and concern for her. He has been a true gentleman and not only has honored their deal, but also has gone further by trying to assure that their agreement didn't make her feel like a prisoner, and the truth is she never felt that way with him.

So, Boston it is! (and, whatever Leopold has planned.)

As she finishes packing her last item of clothing, she hears Leopold calling her "Regina, dear, the driver is ready to go."

Little does she know, Robin Locksley has just checked in, in an exclusive hotel in Boston, only a few blocks away from Regina's apartment.

* * *

 ** _To b_ e continued ...**


	4. Chapter 4

Regina's apartment was the first gift Leopold gave her not so long after she agreed to marry him. It happened one afternoon as they were reunited discussing some of the logistics for their wedding, and going through the details of their agreement one more time when, suddenly, Leopold handed her a little gift box. _An engagement gift,_ he said, and she hoped that inside the beautifully wrapped box wouldn't be any engagement ring. She still felt the sensation of emptiness from the lack of another ring in one of her fingers, reminding her she had been engaged not so long ago. She wasn't ready to wear any sign of her commitment to another man, even though she was going to marry someone else in less than three weeks.

To her surprise inside the box was a set of keys in a beautiful key chain. Leopold explained he wanted her to have that gift before their wedding as a sign of goodwill from him; he wanted her to be sure he would be sticking to their agreement on all the issues they'd discussed. At Regina's refusal, he said he needed to be certain she never felt trapped and having lost her freedom because of their marriage, and he needed to gift her with a place where she could find whatever made her feel free, if it happened she couldn't be able to feel that way in Storybrooke. He promised he wouldn't be sticking his noses anywhere near her apartment, that she could do whatever she wanted, and that he will continue paying for every bill as long as it belonged to her. He had insisted that the apartment was for her exclusive use with whomever she wanted and to do whatever she decided.

Leopold had been right, and the apartment he gave Regina became her safe space.

Apartment N° 23, a penthouse located in the most exclusive area of Boston, is the place where she lives her real life. Not the one as the fake wife of Leopold Blanchard, but the one as Regina Mills, the woman, the competent professional, the woman in love with a man that didn't give any signs of life for four years, the daughter betrayed by her own mother, and the citizen judged by a whole town. There, she used to spend time with Graham and Jeff, the two men she had known in Boston well enough to share part of her life with; or, even, with someone that just happened to be, as she, in need of some company.

Regina's personal touch and classy style are everywhere in her apartment: the curtains that cover the huge windows, the stylish furniture she chose for every room, the colors on the carpets matching perfectly those on the couches and cushions, the fancy items that decorate each corner of her place. The pictures of better times spent with friends and other special people, which are placed conveniently all over the place, give the apartment a sense of warmth and show a glimpse of who Regina Mills really is to any guest that happens to be there.

Pictures of her with her father, with Emma, with high school and college friends, and ...yes with Robin (why not? this is her safe space, isn't it?) decorate the fridge, the living room, the hallway, and her bedroom where she has placed her favorite picture on her nightstand. This picture is one in which she and Robin are smiling tenderly and looking at each other somewhere at Granny's, and it was (well, still is) her favorite picture because Emma took it just the day after they'd opened up about their feelings towards the other one. This picture is almost a close-up, however, it shows Regina wearing a red dress; and Robin, his classic jacket. They are smiling, and so absorbed in the other one that anyone watching the picture can feel how in love they were. The hidden story behind the picture is they never realized Emma had captured the moment until she gave each of them a copy of the framed picture as a gift, some years before everything went down the hill for them.

Regina never found enough courage to get rid of this picture after her breakup with Robin, until one day tired of her inner struggle, she decided that rather trying to find the strength to throw it away, it'd be wiser to find a place for it. She chose to put it on her nightstand, in the privacy of her bedroom, where she looked at it every day she went to bed in Boston but still was easy to hide on the days (or more accurately, the nights) where she had company in her bed.

...

Regina enters the apartment, and, as each time she comes there, she feels home. She takes off her shoes, places her purse and other stuff on the bench by the entrance, hangs her coat and goes directly to the kitchen, where she decides to open a bottle of champagne to make her company during the long and relaxing bath in the huge bathtub of her bathroom, she is planning to take.

She smiles when she spots a tray with a selection of nuts and dried fruits placed in the center of the kitchen table and takes a handful. Mrs. Chang never ceases to surprise her.

She heads to the fridge, takes a bottle of champagne, and thanks again Mrs. Chang for her good work because her favorite brand at the right temperature is waiting for her. After struggling for some seconds to open the bottle, she pours the liquid in a glass, places the bottle inside a champagne bucket she previously filled with ice from the freezer and begins walking barefoot towards her bedroom with both items in each hand.

As soon as Regina gets to her bedroom, she begins undressing, alternating one sip of champagne with each article of clothing she takes off, and, when she's only wearing her underwear, she notices a white envelope on her nightstand. She opens it and after reading what's inside, she thanks for the dress she packed.

What she doesn't know is that some blocks away, in a hotel room, Robin is opening a similar envelope.

* * *

He doesn't believe how he ended up in a hotel like this one. It's exactly the opposite choice of accommodation he would have picked if it would have been his doing. But what he can't believe or understand even less, is how he thought this would be a good idea after Killian's advice and his own instinct.

However, after finishing reading what was inside that envelope, he hasn't stopped walking in circles in that hotel room, dying of anticipation. It doesn't matter how huge that suite is; it seems there's not enough space for him.

The fucking note says so little: an address, a date and time, and a dress code. Nothing else, and he can't help but feel nervous and anxious. Is this an invitation of some kind? Where is he going and with whom? What kind of evening is ahead? A dinner? A ball? A gathering with more people? Will she be there alone or with other people? Is this a sort of date planned by the husband of the woman he's in love with? Will Leopold be there? Can he trust Leopold?

With those questions remaining unanswered, it isn't odd that sleep doesn't come easily. And not even looking at the picture on the nightstand soothes his anxiety. Yes, the one he still has with him (and that doesn't fail to bring with him everywhere he goes) as a reminder of the one time in his life he was really happy when it was just him and the woman he loved ...well, _still_ loves. He remembers clearly the day that picture was taken, even though he never realized Emma captured their special moment until the day she gave him a beautiful wooden frame with his and Regina's picture in it; and, for Regina, a more sophisticated one, with the same photo in it.

Staring at the picture only raises more questions in him, and he wonders if he could be that happy again with Regina and if he would be able to make up to her for being such a coward years ago. He doesn't know the answer yet, but what he does know is that he would do whatever it takes to win her back. And, if he is willing to go to Hell and back for her, he certainly can attend an event in the dark, without knowing in advance each detail about it.

He smiles, remembering he did exactly that in one or two occasions, when John and Will, set him up for a blind date back then in London in their attempts to bring to life a man they knew by chance, and that before they realized became a good pal and an important part of the _Merry Men_. In fact, Robin's addition to the _Merry Men_ , a little rock band John and Will founded, was just what Robin had needed at that time. Robin's experience singing and playing the guitar, assured him an important place in the band; they performed in little bars and pubs once a week, and that, along with his job as an architect and his friendship to Marian, were mostly responsible for his recovery.

...

The next morning arrives after a night of disrupted sleep. Robin wakes up early, insanely early, indeed, and he curses himself for not being able to take advantage of the one chance he has to have a proper sleep, now that Roland is staying with Evelyn.

It's before 6 am, and he looks through the huge windows of his hotel room, enjoying the view from a 16th floor. He witnesses the city beginning to wake up, with some of the houses still with its Christmas lights decorations lighted, and wonders what is Regina doing at that moment.

He would never have guessed, though, she's doing exactly the same just some blocks away, as she stares through her window, thinking of him.

...

He's glad he brought the dark suit, a shirt, a nice tie, and proper shoes, and is relieved he didn't miss the handwritten note in the back side of the note.

 _Everything is taken care of, Locksley. Just be at the lobby in time ...and be your usual fucking self. LB_

Robin sighs looking at his reflection in the mirror, continues buttoning his shirt with particular care to hide inside a silver chain necklace with another item that reminds him of her, and that he was never able to get rid of: the engagement ring she gave back to him. He looks at it asking himself if he'll get the chance to make up to his promise and give it back to her.

He adjusts his tie and finishes getting dressed putting on the jacket and an elegant black coat with an approving smile in his face.

He's ready for a new adventure and crosses his fingers that she's too.

* * *

Regina arrives in time at the address indicated in the note, dressed in the black dress Leopold insisted she should bring with her.

The destination is no other than this year's _Magic Gala_ an event organized by charity organizations, with the purpose to gather funds for activities with children at risk all over the country. She has never attended this event before, least of all in Leopold's company. They're never together when they are in Boston, and, besides, she's not up for any Christmas celebrations. However, she has heard this event is well known for its different format and for choosing, each year, a different theme related to the world of magic and fantasy.

Regina enters the place walking confidently and smiles realizing she catches the attention of the men and women nearby. She knows how she looks in that dress ...after all, black is her color, isn't it?

But, it isn't only the choice of color what makes her look gorgeous that night. It's the choice of dress, her makeup, her hair, the jewelry she wears, that are the perfect combination of elegance and sensuality. The dress is strapless and leaves exposed her perfect shoulders, toned arms and exquisite cleavage that shows the roundness of her breasts in an insinuation of what lies inside; the dress hugs her curves perfectly and unveils every detail of her body. It's the perfect balance between elegance and provocation, making people perceive the form of her body, yet leaving most of it to the imagination. The dress is backless, and it exposes the upper part of her back.

Her makeup is nicely done; the tone of her lips, a burgundy red; her hair, nicely arranged in an elegant bun making possible a complete view of her neck, which makes her look even more distinguished.

As soon as she steps in, she is stunned by the magnificent decoration and the original concept that combines a freestyle in the arrangement of the place, a fancy decoration according to each year's theme (this year _The Enchanted Forest_ is brought to life) and the finest food and drinks, which assures every guest a magical experience. Not in vain the insane amount of money people pay to be on the guest list.

The first thing that catches Regina's attention is that rather than the traditional concept of tables with guest's names on it, a more dynamic style is used. One, in which classy lounges are distributed all over the place that goes from huge ones in which ten people could easily fit, to more cozy and private spaces suited only for one couple.

The decoration gives the guests the idea of being in a magical forest, and at the same time has the perfect Christmas touch, because different types of trees are distributed evenly all over the place in big pots with their branches covered with white lights delineating their different shapes.

Regina looks to the people gathered there, trying to find out if Leopold is among them and figure out his plans for the night. She believes in Leopold, but the fact that he hasn't revealed anything about his plans is stressing her out, and although she knows he won't make her go through a bad time, she's not quite convinced she'll be having a good one, either.

Her tribulations are interrupted by someone calling her name. It's a waiter that at her nod tells her to follow him to the place reserved for her. He escorts her to a nice area in one of the sides of the hall, where a lounge awaits for her. It has a pair of individual couches and in between them, a little table decorated with candles. She takes a seat, observing her surroundings and hoping that another waiter offers her a drink.

She looks to one side of the hall, then to the other, trying to decipher if, among the guests, she catches a glimpse of someone she knows. However, deep inside her she isn't looking for someone, but for a particular man. It seems he's not there, so she decides to mingle with the guests, but before she stands up, she hears someone saying "Milady looks thirsty" and sees a glass of champagne on the table and a hand she'd recognize anywhere.

She doesn't know if upon hearing his voice, her heart stopped for a second, skipped a beat or sped up because the mix of emotions she feels in that moment is overwhelming.

"R-Robin? What are you doing here?" she asks trying to buy some time to recompose herself because she already knows it's him and what he's doing there. She's not surprised to find him here. She knew Leopold was up to something, and her instinct told her it had to do with Robin, but seeing him (and, in that suit and tie that make his eyes look bluer!) is a completely different thing.

He doesn't answer her, and instead asks politely, "May I take a seat?"

"I'm not stopping you," is her only answer.

Robin sits on the couch across of her, but they have so little room that their knees are almost touching, and the slight touch they accidentally have is enough to make her want to feel him closer. She has missed his caresses, his embrace, his kisses. She had other men doing that to her, but it was never the same.

She takes off those inconvenient thoughts from her head, aware that this is not the best timing to allow such mundane ideas tamper with her judgment and begin clouding her mind. She needs to have her head clear for whatever is about to come.

She looks at him, drinks from her glass, and, at her silence, he's the one who talks first. "Regina, why?"

What kind of question is that? She has every right to treat him like shit after the way he disappeared from her life, and, besides, she doesn't know how much Robin has figured out about her marriage to Leopold, and she is not the one to disclose anything in that regard. Hence, she merely comes up with another question that rather than serious and tough, sounds hilarious and provoking.

"Why, what?"

Robin smiles at her, biting his lower lip and shaking his head, drinks from his glass and just continues with another question for her "Why you keep fighting this …" he pauses, sighs and adds as he stares deeply into her eyes taking down the mask of indifference she has been wearing all this time "... _us_?"

Regina's face of surprise, makes Robin continue, "Stop pretending you're happily married to your husband ...I talked to Leopold some days ago. He said enough to make me understand what your marriage is ...well, what it _isn't_ about. I'm here because of him, and it seems you're here for the same reason, Regina."

If her face seconds ago showed surprise, the expression she displays after Robin's words is of complete shock. But not because she just learned that a meeting between her ex-fiancé (and man she still loves) and her actual husband took place some days ago, and she must have been the topic of their conversation, but because her husband seems to have spoken too much and revealed their arrangement, which, in fact, is something she didn't expect.

Leopold has always been very careful about keeping appearances, and she is sure in Storybrooke, aside from Emma, no one was aware of the details of their marriage. Not even Sidney Glass, the town perv and reporter of the only tabloid in Storybrooke, who had obsessively stalked Regina after her mother's scandalous runaway, and both, Leopold and Regina, after their marriage, trying to find some dirty story behind their quick _romance_ and wedding, had been able to uncover their fake marriage. Still shocked, an almost imperceptible smile forms in her lips, as she remembers how Leopold always doubted the reason Sidney became such a pain in the ass and was breathing down on their necks most of the time was barely about doing his job as a gossip reporter, and more about stalking the woman he had (Leopold thinks, he still has) a crush on without drawing any attention.

"You ...you and Leo met? When? What did he tell you?" asks Regina trying to gather information about the meeting between the two men.

"It doesn't matter, Regina. The important thing is he said he wanted to help you retrieve someone you lost, and the truth is that person is dying for another chance with you. Why can't we have a fresh start?"

"Because there aren't fresh starts between two people that went through what we went through, Robin. Besides, we are no longer the same people we were."

Robin insists. It seems he won't give up easily. "Regina, our breakup was not because we didn't love each other, but because of the extraordinary circumstances that were happening in our lives at that time. We both needed to cope with the shit those bastards left behind, and we did it in our own way. Maybe, not in the best way, but it allowed us to heal ...and you're right, you know, we're not the same people we were four years ago, we are better people now. And, listening to Leopold talk about your marriage to him and about you, made me realize I don't want to make the same mistake twice. I'm willing to go as far as is takes to have another chance with you."

Her heart races at his words. Another chance, Would it still be possible? Can they just continue with their relationship from where they left it? How will they endure people's disapproving gazes and smirks? Until when should she be bothered by appearances?

"I'm going to be honest with you, Robin. You need to know I won't disclose nor discuss any details about my marriage to Leopold, but after your talk with him and agreeing to come here, I guess you understood we have something unconventional between us."

Robin nods.

"I do, and I don't need further details. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for him. You, most of all people, know I'd never disrespect your marriage."

Of course, she is aware of that. Due to Cora and Robert's misconduct, all her life has been plagued by thoughts of _how would it look like?_ and _what would people think?_ even when, eventually, she always did what she thought was best for her, and disregarded those thoughts, like when she married Leopold _._ She analyzed the implications of that choice, how it would look like after her recent breakup with Robin and her mother's actions, she assessed her father's financial situation, her career, and she thought _screw those fuckers, I don't owe them anything ...least of all an explanation_ and just continued with her plans.

So, she is very much aware of how it must have been for Robin, as well.

"I know. And I appreciate your thoughtfulness over that. But, …let's take this one step at a time, please."

Robin grins at her words, and asks "Is that a _yes_?"

Regina just smiles, wets her lips and answers with a playful, flirty and mischievous "Perhaps."

...

He'd never have thought a simple _perhaps_ could sound so sexy. Even less, that it could have other meanings, besides the ones he already knows. For him, this _perhaps_ means, as well, hope, happiness, desire, excitement and a _don't screw it this time!_ And, in fact, that only word marked the difference between the before and after of their reunion after all those years. During their brief encounter outside Granny's, their meeting at the cabin and this night's interaction, Robin noticed Regina was mostly harsh towards him, but after her flirtatious _perhaps_ things changed and, somehow, the ice broke allowing the conversation to flow easily and naturally between them.

He's so glad (and relieved) that things between them improved because since he spotted her, seated on that couch by herself, he couldn't help but think how could he let her go all those years ago.

That decision is his biggest regret and, certainly, will haunt his mind until his last day. Four years of his life without her when he could have enjoyed their time together as a married couple all that time. At least, he doesn't think of those years as a waste. He still has a few things he treasures from his time in London: Will, John, Tuck, and Alan, for sure; his incorporation to The Merry Men, his experience as an architect in an important firm; his therapy sessions, that helped him rebuild himself, have a functional life, and, even if he hasn't forgiven his father yet, acknowledge he's not responsible for his father's choices and he's not doomed to be like him. And there are two things he wouldn't change for anything: his son (on top of the list), and his friendship with Marian.

So, after hearing Regina's _perhaps,_ he sighs in relief, and, at the thought of Marian, he thanks her in silence, hoping she'll be proud of him, wherever she is, because it happens his return and insistence to talk to Regina had been mostly Marian's doing, even though she is no longer in this world.

It's funny, he thinks, ironic almost, that two strangers, Leopold and Marian, would be those who have worked their magic to make sure their encounter happened.

He looks at her, finds her so beautiful, tantalizingly stunning that he can't help but stare at her lips as she drinks from her glass the last sip of champagne, envying for some seconds the cold glass that has the fortune to have her lips over it.

"Let me find another glass of champagne for you. I need one more drink, and I guess you too," he says, standing up and walking towards a waiter that has a tray of champagne glasses, and happens to be nearby.

He hands her the glass, lifts his to make a toast, he notices she does the same. "To Marian and Leopold. I guess we need to thank them both for this night."

She nods, smiles and before drinking from her glass, asks "Does your son resemble his mother? I see he got your dimples, but his hair and eyes aren't yours."

He's surprised at the question. It's the first time she addresses something personal about him and gladly answers, "In fact, Roland looks like his mother. Marian was a brunette, so his hair, eyes and the shade of his skin are hers."

Robin takes out his phone and shows Regina a picture of a smiling Marian. A picture taken one happy summer afternoon before Roland, and her sickness happened.

She looks at the picture and answers. "I see."

And, he's not sure if Regina sees the resemblance between Marian and Roland, or she sees the resemblance between Marian's phenotype and hers, and that she knows the meaning of that: A Freudian slip. His unconscious mind still hooked to Regina and choosing a friend, a lifesaver, someone important in his life, with a general appearance like hers. He knows this because it's been a topic discussed over and over during his therapy sessions, and he doesn't want to go there. So, he decides to switch the topic to something different, something that can even make them laugh.

"Um ...tell me, Regina, how did you endure all these years having to see Mary Margaret Blanchard on a regular basis?"

Regina rolls her eyes and bursts into laughter, "Ha, ha, ha! Well, that was the price I had to pay when I agree to marry Leopold."

They both smile remembering how infuriating that woman was. It wasn't that they were good friends with Mary Margaret, but in a town like Storybrooke one doesn't need to be best friend with someone to know them. Her chaste, immaculate and innocent image made people in town see her as the town princess, no doubt why she was the Snow White in every play at the Community Theater or Virgin Mary, each year in the Live Nativity Scene recreated in the Town Hall every Christmas Eve, even though Leopold Blanchard and his daughter aren't religious people. Mary Margaret has always been a fucking Disney fairytale princess living in a bubble of romanticism, true love ...and, shit, hope …yes, that was ... _is_ her favorite word, and it annoyed them both because it happened that Robin and Regina were the two people for whom those premises hadn't worked out.

"And now that she married David Nolan, people in town see them as moderns Snow White and Prince Charming, their ridiculousness has made people name them ' _the Charmings.'_ Can you believe that? In those moments I can't help but think what wouldn't I give for a sleeping curse, so that I can put both of them and their stupidity to sleep," adds Regina as she rolls her eyes for a second time that night, and nods her head as if trying to take away the thought of the _perfect_ couple and her idea to deal with them.

Robin laughs at Regina's remarks, and immediately images of her as _the_ Evil Queen, a woman respected, admired and feared by many, and with a tantalizing beauty begin invading his head.

"I bet you do, your Majesty," answers Robin playing along with her and smirking, but quickly getting serious realizing how hard should've been for Regina those first months after the scandal of his father and Regina's mother was the one thing everyone talked in town. "I see people in town haven't changed at all."

"Not a bit. It's a town stuck in time. I sometimes wonder if time moves the same way in Storybrooke as in any other place. And the hypocrisy, it's the same as always ...nothing is as it appears to be …most people have one hidden side that might surprise and scare you," explains Regina as she tucks one strand of hair behind her ear.

This slight action makes Robin realize this habit hasn't changed. She used to do this all the time, and he wonders what other things about her remain the same.

"I certainly can image. And, now that you bring this up, Regina. I want to congratulate you, still having to deal with those fuckers, you help them, you try to make better people out of them in therapy, and you've built such a solid reputation as a psychologist, and it has crossed borders to other cities, even to other continents."

And, yes, he knows very well Regina's career path because he had been checking her out in cyberspace from time to time, and knows she's a regular attendee to important scientific _fora_ where she gives lectures about her research in clinical psychology. Robin learned a while ago that Regina succeeded in balancing a private practice providing therapy sessions while she kept her research activities in the psychological field. The new approaches she developed for the treatment of mental diseases which she shares with the scientific community through her lectures and in scientific papers she writes, has earned her quite the reputation.

"Thanks, I guess I achieved that. It was good for me to partner with Archie. He was one of the first people that came to me back then, offered this partnership, he said he needed someone with my professional background that could complement his so that having both approaches would help offer better chances to our patients. That made me think he wasn't offering a partnership because of pity, and I accepted it even before agreeing to marry Leopold. You know, there were some people that supported me. Archie was one of them, never talked behind my back during those years. Granny was another one, and, as odd as it may appear to you, your brother in law also had my back."

Robin looks at her in surprise, he would never have thought that Ethan Gold, just Mr. Gold to most people, would have been on her side after the scandal involving her mother, but this man has proved to be better than what he thought. His marriage to his sister was a surprise to him; he didn't see it coming; it seems they got close after the events involving his father during the time Belle worked in Mr. Gold's shop, an eccentric shop of antiques and fine art that, gossip says, is just a facade for illegal activities. However, rumors don't reach an agreement in what those activities are. He's heard his brother in law's shop laundries money earned from drug dealing and smuggling; others say it's the place where he seals the deals with whoever needs a favor from him for which he charges a lot of money depending if it's a money loan, a forged document, beating the shit out of someone, or disappearing someone from the face of the earth. The truth is he knows Mr. Gold is a mysterious man with a dark side that happens to make his sister very happy, and it seems he has not been that bad with his ex-fiancée, either. So, he doesn't care about what happens in the backroom of Gold's shop, as long as his sister remains the happy woman she is.

"I am glad Regina that not all people were shits to you, and I'd have never thought I'd say what I'm about to tell you. I already told the same thing to your husband. I'm grateful you had Leopold in your life. I guess things began to improve for you after marrying him."

"I'd have never thought he'd have such important role in my life, either. He has been a good friend, my confidant, my advisor …he's a great man, and has endured a lot of shit too in that town. He wants me to be happy and has always tried to make sure I felt comfortable in our marriage. As unconventional as things are between us, I have always been myself with him. And not having to pretend with him gave me a break of being the woman people in town expect me to be ...always in control of everything. With him I was able to cry, I could feel sad or anxious, and never felt 's the best gift he gave me."

They've almost talked about everything. _Almost._ Because there are still two topics he needs to address at some point and isn't sure when will the best timing be. He decides to ask one of those questions, and leave the other one for later.

"Um, Regina ... and during the last years, were there other men in your life?"

"Yes, there were."

"Should I need to worry?"

"Nope. You don't have to worry, at all."

Her answer leaves in him a feeling he doesn't like, but he chooses to worry about it later and just enjoy the rest of the night with her.

"What would you say if we go for a walk in this magical Enchanted Forest this night offers us, and from now on we focus on the present and on the future, instead than on the past?"

He takes her by the hand, and both begin walking to the other side of the hall, grinning at each other, completely unaware of the two men that stare at them from afar.

* * *

The venue. The music. The lights. The drinks. Their conversation. Him. Her. The night is perfect. However, they're yet to experience the most emotional test of the night.

Neither of them would have guessed this night would develop this way when they headed to an unknown address Leopold had written in a note for both of them.

It's past midnight already, and they have been talking about serious and not so serious topics, yet the physical contact they have had, has been mostly by accident, and both of them can't stop thinking about it.

Since he arrived, Robin has been behaving with extreme care, as if walking on eggshells not wanting to risk whatever improvement he has made with her. But, truth be told, he has had one only thing in his mind since he first saw her: kissing her. However, he is aware that a kiss would have been a wrong and improper move that would make him earn a slap on the face and an anticipated end of the night. So, he has tried, unsuccessfully, by the way, to take away that thought from his head. The fact she's more responsive and less harsh towards him doesn't mean she might answer a kiss, and she just requested him to take this step by step, so he'll have to put all his restraint at work and wait for any sign from her that she might be ready to take things further.

Regina is aware the night is getting to an end, and she doesn't want to. She is having the time of her life. She can't even recall the last time she felt this happy with someone, and if she remembers well it won't surprise her to find out it was years ago with the same man she's with this night. She wants to kiss him. No. She wants him to kiss her. Yes, that's what she wants, and has been craving for it for some hours now. She wants him to be the one who takes the lead, but she knows he won't do it, unless she gives him a sign, one that he can read undoubtedly, and she has no idea of what could that be. And, it's ironic in fact, that it's her the one thinking in kissing him (or in him kissing her) when she has asked him to take things slowly. Shit, she's screwed!

Nonetheless, despite their own desires, thoughts, and doubts, fate (or maybe it won't be fate) will give them the sign they both are waiting for.

They have returned to the lounge they were seated at the beginning of the night after their little tour, have gotten something to eat and grabbed another glass of champagne. They both think it's a pity the couches they're seated on are for one person, so they're not sitting next to each other, and, on the contrary, they are across each other, and this makes more difficult to seek any physical contact. Shit, whoever reserved these seats for them never thought that by this time they'd both gladly end in the arms of the other one.

Music begins to play, actually it has been playing since they arrived, but it seemed they have been unaware of that fact and more focused on sorting out the issues between them. But now, they hear the music, and they don't know if it's because they've talked almost about everything and there's little undiscussed; or if it's because the particular tune the orchestra is beginning to play.

They'd recognize it everywhere, and they stare at each other surprised, visibly touched and emotional after hearing the first chords of that particular tune: Dmitri Shostakovich's Waltz N° 2.

Regina takes her gaze away from him trying to hide the fact that her eyes are clouded with tears. Robin pulls himself together and gathers the courage both of them need. "Regina, please, look at me. This is a sign. Let's give us a chance."

Regina doesn't answer, doesn't move. She continues looking at one side, and Robin takes one of her hands in his and insists, "Dance with me, Regina, please. We were supposed to dance that song ...and we never got the chance to do it. Let's do this now."

"I ...I …" Regina stutters, but before she can finish the sentence, Robin stands up, extends his hand in an unmistakable invitation and adds, "Let's show these people how we dance this."

"I ...I might be a little rusty," answers Regina smiling softly.

"I don't think so, you had a natural talent and I bet you still do."

She stands up, and, as he leads her to the dance floor, he doesn't miss the chance to touch her bare back slightly, a touch she doesn't reject and, instead, enjoys as they walk.

They stand one in front of the other one, looking into their eyes with emotion, and won't dare to takes their gazes away for the next minutes.

He places one hand on her waist, and, with the other one, holds one of her hands; she puts her free hand on one of his shoulders, and they begin dancing. They know this waltz too well, in fact, had rehearsed every dance step for months with a dance instructor. They chose it after Regina told Robin no song from any pop singer would make it to her wedding reception for their first dance. She wanted something that would remain for posterity and not something that would feel out of fashion or wouldn't be remembered in a couple of years, so they both had chosen Shostakovich's Waltz N° 2 for their wedding, that has proven to comply Regina's condition.

And, even though the music selection during the night has been all classics and instrumental music played live by the orchestra, and people had been dancing the smooth tunes, no other couple has dared to join them on the dance floor for this one. Maybe, because despite it's a waltz and the classic 1-2-3 dance steps should do the work, it's not as easy as it seems, with several changes in its pace that need at least someone familiar with it in advance to know when to switch to a more quick movement. Or, perhaps, it is because of the way in which Robin and Regina seem to know the music and each step they take, that make the other people doubt their dancing skills and decide to watch a more experienced dancing couple.

Robin and Regina had rehearsed it over and over, and not only in the traditional way but in a more sensual one. It was supposed to be the first dance for newlyweds and Eric, their dance instructor, had taken advantage of Regina and Robin's notorious physical attraction towards each other, that had made possible to achieve some bold dance movements.

They begin moving slowly at the smooth rhythm of the music, first with the delicate 1-2-3 ...1-2-3 classic little movements; then, with the same 1-2-3 …1-2-3 steps but longer ones that make them move with ease and elegance from one side of the dancing floor to the opposite side in just three long steps.

Robin takes advantage of what he remembers from his lessons and holds Regina firmly towards her, his hand placed in her back touching directly the skin there, as her dress leaves exposed most part of her back. He can hear her breathing and perceives her scent with every step they take.

They dance in coordination, swinging backward and forward, and swaying to one side and to the other, with such practice and not one movement out of synch that it seems they have just danced the day before. Robin and Regina glide around the floor with grace and elegance through the long, flowing movements, the turns and the classic _rise and fall_ of this dance.

They don't even miss the parts where they spin and change direction; nor that difficult one in which Robin holds Regina by the waist and lifts her as she supports her weight with her hands on his shoulders; or those where they separate, holding hands with their arms extended and Robin makes Regina spin, and for some seconds she has her back towards him, holding her by the waist, just to turn her around quickly and return her to the original position. In that particular movement, Regina feels Robin's breath on her neck. It's so sensual that she's sure if someone looks closer would notice she has goosebumps all over her neck. She's so turned on by this dance and his closeness, that she fears everyone would notice.

People at the sides watch amazed the display of perfection of the couple on the dancing floor. The dance is smooth, as a waltz should be, elegant, but Robin and Regina add to it sensuality and people perceive this connection and intensity. So much so, that when the music ends no one doubts they're a couple in love, and begin clapping, until someone says "Guys, you're under the mistletoe!", and soon others are joining and saying the same.

Robin and Regina look up, and they realize they're under the mistletoe, indeed, but it's not the little traditional sprint with which usually people decorate their houses. It's a huge foliage decoration that hangs from the ceiling in the middle of the dancing floor. There are pine branches, holly, ivy, pine cones, red ribbons, and mistletoe. They burst in laughter thinking about how they missed this huge decoration so that maybe they could have avoided the mortification of this moment. They stare at each other, their gazes showing what they can't word: desire, lust, nervousness, doubtfulness …and it's Regina the one who takes the lead with two words, "Do it."

Robin hears clearly those two words, despite the clapping of the people. He doesn't ask for a confirmation, nor waits for a second request, and just claims her lips in his.

Their lips touch for the first times in years. It begins as a soft kiss, and, maybe, that's their sole intention. After all, they're in the middle of a dancing floor, surrounded by strangers clapping at them and encouraging them to kiss.

Robin half opens his mouth and nibbles Regina's lower lip in his with determination, she responds, and moans. That sound makes him lose the little control he still had, and with his tongue takes the kiss to another level. Regina instinctively opens her mouth and when their tongues touch it's like an explosion of many sensations at once.

They continue kissing, without caring for their audience. Robin takes his hand to Regina's cheek and caresses it with his thumb as he places his other fingers on her neck. They shift the pace from the open mouth kisses, full of desire, to tender little pecks, just to switch again to the more daring ones. They do that several times, and it gives the impression they don't want to put an end to the kiss.

However, at some point, they need to stop, and both know it, even though that thought has been buried deep inside them and have been disregarded. It seems the part of their brains which controls the emotions has long won the battle over the one in charge of rational thinking.

Some seconds later they break the kiss, and as they walk to the hall hundreds of questions begin to fill their minds. The first one has to do with that kiss, and what would come out from it.

...

"She's beautiful, isn't she?"

"Gorgeous. The most fascinating woman I've met."

"How did you know the music would do the trick?"

"Eric and Ariel, the dance instructors in Storybrooke, rent me their dance studio, and, well, I asked them a favor. They told me that was the song Regina and Locksley should have danced in their wedding. I knew Locksley wouldn't waste that chance, but I didn't expect they'd dance so ...um ...fuck, Phil, they were on fire!"

"They _are_ on fire, Leo. I hope that dance and that hell of a kiss ignite the flame once and for all."

* * *

 ** _To be continued ..._**


	5. Chapter 5

She still can feel his lips on hers, although it has been hours since he kissed her. Shit, that kiss has complicated things between them, hasn't it?

Or, maybe not, and, on the contrary, has made things easier and has cleared the way for whatever is about to happen between them. She looks through the window of her apartment sighs deeply trying to take away that idea from her mind, because she is very much aware that's not the case. Who is she trying to fool? Definitely, that kiss has been a wrong move, and their inability to address it, their anticipated departure from the ball, and their awkward silence on their way back validate that theory.

She, now, sees things crystal clear and knows that kiss has touched every fiber in Robin's mind, soul and heart, as well as in hers, and has left both of them so overwhelmed with all kind of thoughts that they've been unable to talk about it and, least of all, to handle properly its meaning and implications.

Yet Robin, always a gentleman, insisted in taking her home, after her _It's late. I think I need to go_ , not so long after they kissed. On their way back to Regina's apartment, in the same car and with the same driver that took Robin to the _Magic Gala_ at the beginning of the night, neither of them dared to say a word. The only thing breaking the awkward silence inside the car, was the Christmas carols the driver had been listening to as he waited to drive Robin back.

Their time in the elevator to reach apartment N° 23, on the 12th floor, had been tormenting. Ninety seconds to get there; ninety seconds of an absolute silence; and ninety seconds, that seemed a complete hour, of watching their own feet until they heard with relief the doors opening.

Robin waited until she opened the door of her apartment, and while she searched for her keys inside the elegant clutch she wore that night as a complement to her attire, she caught Robin several times trying to gather the courage to say something and backing out immediately. The only concrete step he took was an emotional "I …" to which Regina whispered before he could even finish "I know," just before closing the door.

Yes, that kiss was a wrong move, and she feels guilty because she was the one that encouraged him to go on. He had been hesitant, and she clearly voiced what she wanted, so this isn't only on him. Maybe she should have been the one taking the lead on the talking part. That's what she does for a living, doesn't she?

Regina has already taken off her dress and has changed to a satin nightgown. She sleeps in sexy sleepwear regardless if she is in bed by herself or has some company. That's part of who she is, and that hasn't changed throughout the years.

She stares at the picture on her nightstand, and it only makes more difficult to take away Robin from her head and the taste of his lips from hers. She hopes a night of sleep can help her clear things so that tomorrow she'll wake up having figured out how to deal with this mess.

However, soon she'll realize the night won't develop as she hopes.

...

He hates elevators, always had. He's an outdoor man, and having to be in one for almost two minutes (that seems like two hours), is enough punishment for his stupidity. And he has been punished twice this night: first, during their journey up to the 12th floor with her, and now, as he goes down after having said goodbye to her ...well, sort of goodbye.

Nonetheless, the way down to the first floor is far worse than the way up, because he doesn't even have to pretend he's okay. There's no one else to fool, and, anyway, who does he think he tricked? Certainly, not Regina. So, it's only him and his thoughts of self-loathing for ninety excruciatingly long seconds.

He's such a coward. He won't forgive him if he loses her for the second time. Shit, he's a disgrace! Another man, that happens to be the husband of the woman he loves has gone through the trouble of organizing an evening to die for, has thought about every detail (he's certain Leopold had something to do with the choice of music, and the one thing he was supposed to do was not screw this (again). And what does he do? He gives her a hell of a kiss, that wouldn't have been that bad at all if he'd have had the courage to be accountable for his actions and address that kiss as the grownup man he is. He learned nothing all those years and is about to make the same mistake by wasting the only chance he might have with her. He's fucked!

 _Ding_. That sound brings him to reality, and he exits the building feeling like shit. He steps inside the car and asks the driver to take him back to his hotel.

What would Marian think of him? What is preventing him from telling Regina he loves her? Does he love her? Or, is he in love with the idealized thought of the life they should have had together? Why is he so afraid to tell her he wants to be with her? What happened to his excitement after her _perhaps_ that had filled him with hope?

With those questions in his mind, he asks the driver to take the long way to his hotel, the one that takes the road through the forest. He needs to clear his head, he needs to try to fix this, and the solitude of the night and the view of the trees will help him think.

 **...**

Regina can't sleep. It seems it's been hours since Robin left when only a few minutes have passed. She turns to one side of the bed; then, to the other. There's no place in bed that feels comfortable enough that can help her get to sleep. But, she knows it isn't about the bed and its coziness ...or lack of it. It's all about that kiss and what it meant for her, what she expected from it and what remains unsaid.

A cup of chamomile tea might help ease her nerves. So, she gets up of bed and heads to the kitchen. She doesn't even bother to put a robe on. There's no one home with her, so why bother with any modesty?

She turns on the burner, puts the kettle and waits, as the events since the day she spotted him for the first time in years come to her mind. So much has happened in such a short time, that she thinks she could explode. Six days. Today is the sixth day since she saw him for the first time, and if seven days ago someone had asked her how her life was, her answer would have been completely different than what it is now. Seven days ago she was content; she could say happy, even; she had come to terms with the idea that she wouldn't be crossing paths again with the love of her life; she had accepted that fact some years ago and had decided to go on with her life without him. But now, everything she thought was sorted out, is not. And the worst is that kiss gave her hope, and now she has to deal with the disappointment that means neither of them found the courage to talk about it.

She is aware that she requested Robin to take things one step at a time and maybe he felt bad for going too fast and kissing her (at her demand, by the way). Nonetheless, the least she expects if something like that happens and they move forward two or three steps, just as they did when they kissed, to pull themselves together and address that fact, but that hasn't happened.

Robin, more or less, knows about what her marriage to Leopold is, so that's not the issue preventing him from taking things further. It hasn't avoided him to come all his way to Boston, meet her, spend a beautiful evening in her company and, even, kiss her, so Leopold isn't the problem. It's them.

 _Wheeeeeee._ The whistle of the kettle indicating the water is ready startles her. She jumps on her seat and goes to turn off the fire, begins preparing her tea and when she is about to take the first sip, another sound alarms her.

 _Bang. Bang. Bang._

...

 _Bang. Bang. Bang._

He knocks the door three times. Maybe he should have knocked only once; at this time of the night one knock is enough to wake up half the people in this building, and, besides, three knocks show insistence, eagerness, desperation, and bad manners, yet he couldn't care less about either of those reasons.

He doesn't know why he's here ...well, he does but has no idea about what he will say after she opens the door. He's acting out of instinct and not rationalizing his thoughts. He is aware this is an improvised move, but it's worth it.

At some point during his return to the hotel, the driver took a road through the forest, the long way, indeed, as requested, because it seems it had no end, and as he watched the dark trees covered with snow passing by, a different view of the whole situation came to his mind. He realized everything he'd done during the last days, almost being in the dark. He has talked to her, still at the risk of being slapped in the face in front of half the town; has requested an encounter with her (even before knowing he could have another chance); has gathered the courage to explain what he went through; has asked for forgiveness; has met her husband thinking that meeting would be leading to his death; has taken a leap of faith by coming to Boston without knowing shit about what to expect …and he becomes aware that it would be completely unwise to back out after all he has already gone through.

So there he is, waiting for Regina to open the door after having knocked desperately for three times.

* * *

It doesn't take long for Regina to open the door. She looks surprised; maybe, because she didn't have time to put a robe on in the rush to avoid waking up the whole building with the insistent knocking on the door; or, perhaps, because she wasn't expecting a late visit; or, possibly, when she realizes the way this man scans her body with his eyes after she opens the door.

"Robin ...er...why are you here?"

"Honestly, I don't know," answers Robin, but he must have realized how those words sound because he adds almost immediately "Well, I do. Um ...my mind was in the forest, but my heart took me here."

Regina is touched by his words and opens the door widely for him to step inside wrapping her arms across her chest in an attempt to cover her breasts after remembering she's not wearing a bra.

"I guess we need to talk. Please, come in and take a seat. I'll be back in a minute."

She goes to her bedroom, puts on a robe; then, takes a look in the full-length mirror inside her walk-in closet and smiles softly realizing that rather than worrying about her modesty (or lack of) and how she looks, she should be more concerned about what they are about to discuss. This is the point of no return and how they handle things, and whatever they decide, will define their future.

Besides, Robin has seen her in far less clothing than what she is wearing, so this shouldn't bother her that much. Still, manners are important. He's a guest at her house and doesn't deserve to be received by a barefoot and semi-naked woman, even if it's the middle of the night and she's certain he won't complain.

Regina comes out with a robe on, and before sitting prepares two glasses of whiskey. She remembers it's his favorite drink, and, besides, both of them could use something strong in their systems for what is about to happen.

They sit next to each other on the couch, and Robin begins talking "Um …Regina …I ...I'm making the same mistake twice, and I just realized it. That dance, that kiss, you ...everything stroke me at once ...and it was just too much to handle ...that's why I didn't say a thing, but as soon as you close the door of your apartment I felt as if you were closing the last chance for us ...and I ...I don't want that …"

"Robin ...I ...it … er ..." Regina struggles to say something, but Robin doesn't let her finish.

"Regina, please, listen to me …let me continue talking ...I ...I don't know how things between you and Leopold will sort out. That's between you and him and it doesn't concern me, but I do need to know ...I beg you to be honest, and tell me if we can still have a chance."

"Why didn't you say anything before? You ...you have been very persistent about giving us a chance, and after our kiss, you just stepped back, didn't say a thing ...it gave me another impression," confesses Regina. She's opening up to him and certainly, he's doing the same.

Regina watches Robin drink from his glass and knows he's thinking what to say next. He has that expression on his face that she recognizes quite well: his eyes half closed and a frown beginning to form. He's trying to pick his words carefully.

Robin talks with emotion and doesn't dare to take his eyes away from hers. "I was afraid, Regina. Terrified. I figured out I don't know how to be with you in a natural way. I'm always overthinking everything I say, every step I take and that kiss ...well...that was the first time I didn't think things through …and only felt ...and what I felt scared me because it was so damn good that I couldn't stand the thought of losing you again ...but, at the same time I realized I couldn't lose what I don't have ...so I guess I came here to tell you I'm sorry ...I'm so sorry for the pain I caused you all those years ago, for making you think I had second thoughts about you ...about _us_ tonight ...shit, Regina ...and I'm sorry because, for a man that loves you the way I do, I'm doing the worst job in the world showing how I feel."

"Robin, don't be sorry. It's on me also. I could have started a conversation after we kissed, but the truth is my head was elsewhere, overthinking, just as you were," replies Regina. She knows how these past days should have been for Robin, because she has been feeling mostly the same, and she is aware that for him things must have been more difficult. She has Leopold and Emma that know her whole story, but Robin has no one that could have been of help in this particular situation. So, she decides to answer his question directly, "Um ...and to answer your question I ...I guess we can try, and until Leopold and I are legally divorced we can spend some time here, away from gossips, rumors, gazes, and sarcastic remarks, and all the other things those shitty people in Storybrooke excel in."

They are seated on a couch facing each other. Robin still dressed in his suit and Regina with a robe on top of a nightgown. They are looking into the other one's eyes with emotion, care, and love, but Regina's expression is somehow different. It's nostalgic, sad even, and it seems Robin notices it and asks, "What? Is there something else?"

Regina shakes her head and smiles softly "No. I'm just trying to memorize you like this."

"Like, what? Nervous and alarmed?"

"No. With love in your eyes. I ...I have missed a lot of things about you ...about us, but what I missed the most was the way you used to look at me ...and it's the same way in which you are looking at me right now."

Regina's words are full of emotion, and her eyes, clouded with tears. She knows soon she'll be sobbing on his arms, because, honestly, how many emotional situations can a human being handle at once? In the last week she has faced the return of the love of her life; has relived the circumstances of their breakup; has learned his life wasn't what she thought, at all; has been forced to acknowledge her feelings; has realized that soon Leopold will no longer be in her life; has spent an evening with the man she loves; has been compelled to hear music that brought painful memories and danced with the man she was supposed to marry, to the particular song they both chose as their first dance as husband and wife; has kissed that same man in front of, at least, a hundred strangers. Shit! That's too much to bear! She is allowed to have some weeping. She earned it.

"Come here … can I hold you?" asks Robin. It seems he reads her mind and knows she is at the edge of breaking down.

Regina gets closer to Robin, and when they are inches apart, she whispers, "Of course you can, but, please, stop overthinking. Let's be ourselves."

...

Okay. It's good to know how Regina feels about all this, which is probably the same way he has been feeling lately. But the best part is that finally, he will allow himself to stop thinking and begin feeling.

So, Robin takes advantage that she got close to him and told him exactly that, and, rather than a hug, goes for a kiss. He's being himself and wants to kiss her properly.

They kiss for the second time this night, and ...shit, this kiss has one additional ingredient: privacy. They both know they are alone. No kids, no other people, no phones that menace to ring this late at night. It's just them and their desire for the other one because it's obvious both of them have been holding back their eagerness.

There's no need to pretend, so, as soon as Robin feels her lips, he requests more. First, it's his tongue poking on her lips, begging for another type of contact which she welcomes without hesitation; then, his hands come into action, caressing her nape and intertwining his fingers with her hair, something that has always driven him crazy.

Robin notices she's responsive to his kisses and his touch. Her _mmmmms_ and _ahhhhhhs_ are sufficient sign of it. He wants to feel her closer, though, but their position on the couch makes difficult for him to have more access, since their upper bodies are facing each other, but their legs are not.

It seems Regina finds awkward and uncomfortable that position too, because without breaking the kiss she lifts slightly from the couch, rotates her body so she's facing Robin completely and moves one of her legs above his, straddling him.

Shit. He wasn't expecting a bold move on her part so soon. She must feel the bulge in his pants because she is almost seated on top of it, and he's mortified that she'd be aware that from those few kisses he gets this turned on.

Despite his embarrassment, he focuses on their kiss which has heated up since their lips first met. He kisses her jawline, descending to her neck; he can feel her ragged breath and the little sounds she lets escape each time he sucks and licks her.

She said _stop overthinking,_ and he's doing precisely that. He's not thinking at all and instead concentrates on making her feel good ...and it happens that he has some experience in that field since he knows where she likes to be touched and kissed, the exact spots that drive her crazy, and if that's what she wants, he certainly will get there.

But, this experience also works the other way around because she understands his body too, and knows exactly what turns him on, and, maybe, that's why he didn't realize when she took her robe off. It must have been a simple move, untying it and letting it slip through her arms, and he realizes in astonishment she's only wearing a short black satin nightgown that happens to show a generous portion of her cleavage and, even, a portion of her breasts where he can clearly spot her nipples through the delicate fabric.

Minx! She knows he has a thing for her breasts and has no bra on. Always had and after all these years his tastes haven't changed.

Robin stops kissing her neck after realizing her breasts are inches from his face. He looks at her and, without taking his gaze away, he slowly pulls down the straps of her nightgown. He's aware that although Regina is intense in bed, and enjoys rough sex and fierce moves during lovemaking, she prefers sensuality, passionate gazes, slow touches, and soft kissing during foreplay. He knows how to do this, and pulls those straps awfully slowly keeping his eyes locked with hers all the time. With every inch his hands descend, he touches her arms slightly, noticing the change in the pace of her breath and her chest rising up and down each time more quickly.

He takes his eyes away from hers, staring at her bare breasts when he realizes the straps are down to her elbows, and, her breasts, are on full display. He gulps, affected with the sight in front of him, and can't help but grab both breasts in his hands, touching them kindly first, even shyly, and, then, with determination. He watches with attention her erect nipples and begins teasing her by pinching them at the same time.

Robin alternates his gaze between her perfect breasts and the expression on her face that's none other than one of pure pleasure. She has her eyes closed, her mouth half opened and from time to time he catches her biting her lower lip in a failed attempt to hold back her moans.

And hearing her moan, as he has dreamt for so long (and not only at night, because he has daydreamed about this more times than he would like to admit), makes him want to kiss those splendid breasts. He begins sucking, licking, and biting her nipples, all at once. This time his touch is not soft or kind, and, instead, it's desperate and eager. And, as he enjoys swirling his tongue around her swollen breasts and hardened nipples, the rhythmic movement of her hips all over his lap, using the bulge inside his pants to receive the stimulation she needs, drives him crazy.

They haven't said a word since they began their smooching, and it's odd because, although they've always understood each other so well in bed, usually knowing in advance what the other needed, still they enjoyed being vocal during foreplay and sex. He is unable to say a word because he lost his ability to talk after he began kissing her breasts and felt those exquisite back and forth and side to side moves on his lap, but now that she has begun undoing his shirt, talking is out of the question.

He watches her delicate hands struggling to open each button of his shirt in desperate and sloppy movements, as she breathes heavily and continues moving frantically, but she succeeds and finishes with the last button of his shirt. He realizes he still has his tie on and decides to make things easier for her, taking it off, and exposing his chest and a silver chain necklace with something Regina recognizes immediately hanging from it.

...

"Is ...is ...this what I think? You ...you kept it all those ...years. W-why?" asks Regina in between pants and heavy breathes, staring at the engagement ring on in his chest.

She has remembered that event each day during the past four years and has regretted every moment of it. However, witnessing that Robin kept her ring with him all this time fills her with emotion as she realizes he never moved on, just as he confessed the day of their first encounter at the cabin.

Robin's voice brings her back from her thoughts. "Well, I didn't get to have you with me, so at least having something that belonged to you near my heart made it possible to feel you closer ..." explains Robin making a pause as if trying to find some courage for what he is going to say next, "...and ...um ...also because years ago I promised someday I would give it back to you, and holding to it was a constant reminder that I needed to keep my promise."

Regina, still visibly affected by their previous activities, opens her eyes in surprise, and it seems this finding kind of killed the mood, because after Regina found out what Robin has been guarding all these years, they have stopped kissing and touching, although they continue breathing heavily and in the same position as minutes before, with her straddling him.

"No need to panic. I'm not giving it to you ...not now, anyway," he smirks.

Shit. She is overwhelmed by this. She would never have thought he'd be attached for so long to something that belonged to her. Or, maybe, he had never needed before to feel her closer because, for five years in which they were in a relationship, she was always there for him. So, this detail impresses and overwhelms her that much that she doesn't know if she'll begin crying because of emotion or fuck him right where they are.

"I ...I can't believe you kept it with you all the time. I ...I don't know what to say … I …I ...this is too much," and after those words, she kisses him and in between little kisses and open-mouthed ones, she says the magic words he has wished to hear for years "Robin, I ...I want you."

...

If he knew his little _token_ would make her say the words he'd dreamt about countless times, he would have been less careful hiding it from her.

He isn't surprised, though, that she voiced her desires. She's always been like that with intimacy. She's not a shy woman, on the contrary, she goes for what she wants and has no inhibitions requesting what she enjoys or needs. What surprises him is the turn this night is taking. Making love to her this soon wasn't on his mind when he knocked on the door of apartment N° 23, although the idea of it is driving him crazy with desire.

They reach her bedroom in between sloppy kisses and after stumbling from time to time because of their eagerness. On their way there Robin lifted Regina holding her below her hips, and she surrounded him with her legs, leaving her ass almost exposed, considering the lace thong she chose to wear is extremely petite.

As soon as they arrive to the bedroom Robin smiles upon noticing the picture that decorates her nightstand. He smiles and whispers between kisses, "You ... _mmm_ ….kept _mmm_ ...it."

She only gets to answer in between kisses, "I ... _mmm_ ...did."

He is still carrying her and, as he puts her down slowly, lying her down on the bed, he adds a, "Me too," in a sultry tone.

She chuckles at his confession, and he doesn't know if that giggle is a sign that she finds funny the fact that he can't get rid of things that remind him of her, or because of anticipation. Still, he's too focussed on her to lose time trying to explain something as natural as a giggle, which, in fact, he loves and has missed all these years.

As soon as she is lying down in bed, with her nightgown up to her waist, and her breasts totally exposed, the realization of what is about to happen hits him.

Shit. He's about to make love to Regina ...and he's nervous. Not because he doubts his skills as a lover, because he doesn't, but having recreated this scenario thousands of times, makes him wonder that he might not to be up to the circumstances and finish embarrassingly fast.

However, this night has proven to be magical in every sense, and this is the cherry on top of the cake.

 _Feel. Don't think. Feel. Don't think. Feel …_ As he repeats those words inside his head, like a mantra, he places his body above her, and claims her mouth first; then, descends, kissing her everywhere, trying to recognize a body he once knew like the palm of his hand.

She lies still, and he notices she's trying to get some friction down there by rubbing her legs, one with the other, something that definitely isn't working as he spots one of her hands going downwards seeking a more direct contact. She has always been a woman that took matters into her own hands.

But, there's no way that after all those years, he would allow someone other than him near her private parts, it doesn't matter if it's herself. So, he grabs her hand firmly whispering "No, Regina. I want to touch you first."

She nods her head, and, in a quick move, he removes her underwear, and what remains of her nightgown, leaving her totally bare for him to feast.

He gulps at the sight of her in all her glory. Her body is just as he remembers: curved and toned, yet soft. And looking at her in that way, he can't hold back his desire and pounces on her, spreading her legs for him. He explores her body with both hands, as he kisses her everywhere he can, but soon one of his hands wanders lower, lower, until he reaches the little protuberance he aimed for and stops there rubbing it firmly with a rhythmical pace which certainly will do the work. At the same time, he's kissing her neck and lips, and going for her breasts again, just to claim her mouth after that.

She responds to every kiss and touch with exquisite sounds of pleasure. There are _mmmmms_ and _ahhhhhhs_. Also heavy breathes, loud _oh Gods_ , _yeses_ and _fucks_ , and instructions like _don't stop!_ , _yes! just like that!_ , _right there!_ , but what makes him doubt if he'd be able to last some more minutes are those sexy, sultry _Robins_ he hears her say from time to time.

He knows she's close. He recognizes the signs: her expression, the way she begins moving her hips and the change in her breath and is determined to continue when he hears her say, "Wait. Stop. I ...I want …I want this first time to feel _you,_ " and he exactly knows what she means.

She hands him a condom, he's not sure from where, and in record time he unfastens his belt, takes his pants off, puts on the gadget, and begins making love to her.

It doesn't take long for both of them to finish. One, first; then, the other, and even with the burst of sensations their orgasms gifts them with, Robin smiles with exhaustion thinking that some things remain the same as always.

* * *

They would have said that was the best sleep they both have had in a long time, but they'd be lying because neither of them got to sleep that night.

They made love again, and again as if trying to make up for lost time. They talked, leaving unaddressed no topic, and they even discuss the painful ones like Henry Mills' illness and death, and their theories on Cora and Robert's whereabouts. It happens no one has heard a word about them since they ran away. That was the question Robin had been dying to ask Regina, but never found the courage or the right time to bring it up. It seems those bastards never wanted to be found, and have done a pretty good job covering their tracks. They found out each of them went through the trouble of trying to discover, by themselves and with the resources they had on hand, any clues about their parents' fate as a way to find some closure to one of the saddest episodes of their lives, reaching only dead end after dead end.

They laughed, lying down on bed, caressing their naked bodies, as they share silly stories of their time apart. Those about Storybrooke and their citizens that, at the same time, made them crack up with laughter and feel outraged by the ridiculousness of the people they know.

Robin shared stories about his parenting experience with Roland, and Regina was mesmerized finding out how well he's doing as a single dad, and the delight of a boy little Roland is.

And, when morning breaks, they both are totally wasted from a night full of emotion, passion, and lack of sleep, yet happy and grateful with the second chance it seems they are getting, after all.

A phone call interrupts their morning cuddles and conversation, but neither of them seems to get upset after finding out who's calling. Instead, they are happy and burst into laughter after they hear someone asking on the other end of the line, "Do I need to congratulate you and Locksley, darling?"

Robin finds delightful Regina's, "I guess you do, Leo," while a slight blush colors her cheeks and she bites her lip playfully.

And as they watch the beginning of a new day, enjoying the magnificent view from her bedroom window, they think of the worst Christmas of their lives, and how now, four years later, it seems they will be having one of the best ones.

They share one more kiss before heading to breakfast, thrilled and ready for their new adventure.

* * *

 ** _THE END_**


End file.
